I understand that in choosing your therapist, you will be investing time, energy, money and most importantly trust in the person that you see. So it is vital that you have confidence in, and are able to establish a rapport with whomever you choose.

What follows is a brief description of my qualifications, professional experience and qualities that distinguish the service I provide. If you want to find out more, please contact me (without commitment) to discuss your needs, ask questions and explore your options. If you then wish, we can make an initial appointment to explore how we would work together.

About Karen

I am a fully qualified, UKCP registered psychotherapist (you can find out more about what this means in the FAQ section below).

Having worked in psychological therapies for over 35 years, I am skilled and experienced in working with a range of psychological, emotional, mental health, workplace, trauma and relationship issues. I am comfortable working with psychologically and emotionally vulnerable people, my professional responsibility having included 17 years as a senior clinician.

Initially trained as an occupational therapist specialising in mental health, I developed my understanding and expertise with additional training in CBT, family therapy and group analysis, before embarking on a 5 year psychoanalytic psychotherapy training at the Guild of Psychotherapists in London.

My professional career took me through psychology, psychotherapy and acute mental health services within the NHS (where I worked for over 15 years) to the role as Counselling Services Manager for a leading employee assistance programme provider (for 7 years), where as senior clinician, my responsibilities included clinical risk assessment and management, clinical training, and the management and front line provision of psychological therapies following traumatic incidents in the UK and overseas. In this role, I worked with people with a wide range of roles and responsibilities including senior management and developed my skill and experience in working with workplace issues, including stress, workplace trauma and bullying.

Having maintained a small psychotherapy practice, in 2005, I moved exclusively into private practice and established Dovetail Partnerships which provided high quality bespoke training, consultancy and psychological services to clinical and other organisations including Government Agencies, the probation service, schools and colleges.

In 2015, drawn by the beauty of Scotland, I moved my practice to East Lothian, focusing on my work with individuals. In 2022 I established Fairbairn House therapy centre to provide a safe ‘home’ for my practice and that of likeminded, independent, fully qualified and professionally accountable health professionals. My different clinical roles have developed my understanding of how individuals, families, groups and organisations interact and respond to situations and challenges. While this experience, and my training informs my thinking and practice, my interest will be in you as an individual, working with you to to make sense of your unique experience. Providing you with a safe and confidential space in which you can be really heard, where you can explore and reflect upon the decisions you are making and the possibilities which may lie ahead, where you can challenge your feelings and the assumptions you make and gain some clarity about where you are, where you want to be and how you are going to get there.