I’ve worked with Kate twice to navigate the complexities of life’s wobbly moments and she has not only been the most warm, compassionate, curious and peaceful therapist I’ve worked with, she also knows how to call a spade a space and approaches therapy in a very real-life, non-jargoned capacity. Kate’s ability to simplify the noise in your head and really help you understand the patterns that emerge is game changing. I have a rich tool-box of ideas, practices and conversations that help me out when negative behaviour or thought patterns start to arise. I’m forever grateful for Kate’s time – I felt seen, understood, validated and supported. 

When I met Kate I was coming from 3 years of therapy with 3 different therapists who helped me in some way but did not manage to solve completely some of my issues. I was feeling stuck like in cage.

My anxiety was preventing me to do proper physical exercise, get on an airplane, go on a bike etc. I was scared that I would die of heart attack if I pushed too hard on my body. This fear was coming from years of panic attacks I have been through. These had their origin from an old trauma I had when I lost my dad of heart attack back in ’95 and triggered from smaller and most recent traumas (an operation in 2018, loss of some relatives etc).

Kate simply took my hand and showed me the way to go out from my prison.  She pushed me kindly to try and live my life fully, to walk freely in the countryside, to run (we did this together outdoors), to expose myself every day with no fear. So I went out of my comfort zone and started to feel the light breath of life coming in and out of my lungs. More I was doing stronger I was feeling. Now I am finally enjoying my life and my time with my husband and my daughter.  My daughter (8 yrs old) is now proud of me. I am teaching her to be strong through life adversities and not to hide in a corner. I cannot thank her enough for what she has done with and for me. I know that I am not healed completely. Whoever has ever suffered of anxiety knows that anxiety always stays with you. However I am kind of a new person now, more aware of who I am, accepting my defects and weaknesses and even loving them the same as I love my merits. Kate is an experienced professional. Her approach was different from any other therapists I have met in my entire life. She interconnects with you, she truly cares for you and aims to help you no matter what it takes. Thank you Kate from all my heart.

It’s amazing how you can convince yourself that you’re a certain way. That you envelope a certain set of characteristics that put you into a bucket that you’re stuck in forevermore, amen. My bucket was full of shame, self-criticism, sadness, lack of self-control, confusion. I first came to Kate three months ago and I’ve been on an astounding journey of self-exploration and discovery (to use a cliché). I have learnt such a lot about myself, my habits, my reactions, my emotions; I have come to terms with issues that have plagued me for decades and regained control in the most liberating and enriching way. I have learnt how to cope, how to see things as they are, and to experience all emotions in a truly measured and balanced way – I stopped believing that was possible for me. I’m no longer terrified of feeling stressed or sad or anxious; I feel open to everything with the knowledge that it’s ok… I’m ok… the world is ok… I’m not stuck in a never-ending loop of negative emotions, regularly feeling close to rock bottom. I feel empowered. 

Kate, thank you for helping me to understand; for showing me that I am a good person, and for reminding me how to live my life without fear and anxiety. I feel I owe you everything.

Working with Kate has been a revelation. She has not only given me the tools to overcome my original problem but has helped me discover who I am today and who I want to be in the future. Her compassionate and collaborative approach was ideal for me. Many sessions felt like we were exploring and discovering how my mind worked together. Other times, Kate acted as an experienced and trusted guide, giving me the confidence, techniques and the just right sort of motivation to allow me to overcome my initial scepticism and feel good about myself for the first time in ages. I do not hesitate in wholeheartedly recommending Kate and her approach – I only wish I’d given it a try sooner!

Dear Kate, I am writing this letter to tell you how I feel my dad has changed. Thanks to you he is now more: sociable, calm and he smiles a lot more :-). What you have done for him has also effected me and my everyday life to be better. Thank you soooooo much!

A client’s son, aged 10 (nearly 11!)

If you’re reading this, it means you’re taking your first steps into wanting to change something in your life, which takes courage and should be recognised – so, sincerely, well done. The good news is that, speaking from my own experience, you’re in the right place. 

My journey to this point has been years in the making, having been closed off, not wanting to acknowledge my fears or to face them, culminating in high levels of stress and anxiety affecting all aspects of my life, often leading to debilitating anxiety attacks and heavy bouts of depression. 

The amazing work that Kate has performed during our time together has been nothing short of life changing. Kate’s ability to peel back the layers of years worth of unaddressed emotions with such a warm kindness and understanding has been an experience that I have learned so much from – I have logical, reasoned and compassionate answers to things that I would, and have, just blamed myself for. Kate has helped me come to terms with my fears and shed light on aspects of my life that I didn’t realise were affecting me so much. She has given me the tools and confidence to embrace these aspects of myself and I will continue to work on them throughout my life – The goal is not to live without fear as this is impossible, but rather, to learn how to live beside it.

I originally went to see Kate as I was experiencing issues with my teenage daughter. As I’ve got deeper into the therapy, my own stuff related to my childhood and growing up came up. I was able to explore any issues in a safe place and Kate offered me a different perceptive which enabled me to deal with limited beliefs I held related to the past as well as current situations. Her Compassion Focused Therapy was by far the best therapy I have encountered over the years. It allowed me to open up and share a difficult subjects in a non-judgmental place. Kate was attentive to my concerns and helped me deal with a few skeletons kept in the closet as well encouraged me to seize opportunities by being kinder to myself and less critical. There were tears, there was laughter and there were revelations too. I could not recommend her enough for her soft and encouraging approach and her undenied skills and experience.

Thank you Kate for helping me to discover a version of myself that is compassionate, resilient & happy.

Dr Brierton (Kate) was able to identify my problem very quickly and put me on the path of healing just after one session. She is very flexible with her approach, during our sessions we were able to identify and improve on many of my problems. She also helped me recognise an underappreciated aspect of my personality that opened the door to seeing the world from a new perspective. She is a genuine person, I can recommend her wholeheartedly.

Over the weeks, Kate guided me through a voyage of self discovery towards a new way tailored to my needs and well being. It was surprisingly tiring, but I emerged with a new sense and appreciation for a joyful more balanced existence. What started as a problem, turned into the gift of improved self awareness and positive change. Kate’s light touch and compassionate approach suited my need for rigour and change, and I highly recommend it.

I was initially motivated to attend therapy with Dr Brierton (Kate) to explore a particular issue with a family member and to address a growing feeling that I was struggling with various aspects of my life, and not very happy. I immediately realised that this was an excellent decision – Kate is a warm, kind, person who puts you at your ease. Moreover, she is incredibly clever and good at her job and rapidly helped me to identify some of my limiting beliefs and behaviour patterns. Most importantly, she worked with me to help me understand how I could develop new, more healthy, behaviours that might equip me better to live a happy and fulfilled life. Working with Kate has been a revelation. It is not always easy to consider some of your innermost anxieties and worries but Kate is always compassionate and understanding and helps you to build strength to implement changes and figure out new, more beneficial, thought processes. I cannot recommend her highly enough.