Kay Holdsworth, BACP

Kay Holdsworth is a counsellor, psychotherapist and coach based in the United Kingdom who works predominantly with women seeking change and greater wellbeing. She combines practical tools and therapeutic techniques to help clients manage stress, anxiety, low mood, motivation difficulties and a wide range of life challenges, including relationship and family issues, trauma or grief, addiction concerns, and identity or intimacy-related struggles. Kay holds the BACP credential - member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and frames her work around collaboration, practical exercises and creative interventions to support lasting change.

Clients can expect an integrative approach that includes evidence-informed methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, client-centered listening, mindfulness practices and elements of hypnotherapy when appropriate. She often uses guided relaxations, breathing exercises and creative techniques during sessions and offers practical tasks, experiments and journaling between meetings to build new habits and insights. This hands-on focus aims to move people from feeling stuck toward greater self-trust, clarity and inner calm.

Kay’s background includes experience delivering community wellbeing courses and facilitating mental health groups, and she has worked in higher education settings supporting students and staff. She tends to introduce creative ways of working when helpful, believing that imagination and practical action together can produce meaningful transformation. Appointments are offered with flexible scheduling to fit clients who need evening times.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Kay combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and client-centered practice to help clients work through difficult thoughts and feelings. ACT focuses on helping people accept what they cannot change while committing to values-based actions so they can build a more meaningful life despite discomfort. CBT is a skills-based approach that identifies unhelpful thinking patterns and teaches practical strategies to reduce anxiety, low mood and unhelpful behaviours. Client-centered therapy prioritizes empathic listening and collaboration, giving clients space to explore their experience and find their own solutions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Kay works collaboratively with each person to identify the best fit based on their needs, goals and preferences. She tailors techniques and suggests practical experiments so clients can try out approaches and adjust them together with their therapist.

Online therapy with Kay is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different lifestyles and time zones. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, support access for international clients, and allow people to continue work on wellbeing from wherever they are, using the format that suits them best.