Kathleen Rao, BACP

Kathleen Rao works from an integrative psychotherapy approach that draws on several evidence-based techniques to meet each person's needs. She aims to build a trusting relationship so people feel understood and able to talk about difficult topics. Kathleen believes clients know themselves best and she helps them feel confident in their own expertise.

Her practice often supports people dealing with stress, anxiety and depression. She also helps with grief, parenting concerns and family-related problems. Kathleen has particular interests in perinatal and postnatal health, complicated grief, burn out and long-term health conditions.

Kathleen describes her role as creating a calm and contained space. She focuses on warmth and empathy while listening to what each person brings. Sessions are shaped around the individual's needs rather than a fixed set of techniques.

She holds membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. Kathleen has three years of direct therapeutic experience and more years working in mental health settings prior to that.

Her background includes substantial work within the NHS, including during the Covid-19 pandemic, and roles supporting people across a range of care settings. That experience informs a practical, person-centred way of working in sessions.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Kathleen works integratively, combining techniques selected to match what a person brings. Integrative psychotherapy means she may draw on talking therapies that focus on understanding feelings, identifying unhelpful patterns, and building coping strategies to manage stress and anxiety. This kind of work helps with mood disorders, panic, phobias and everyday worries.

She also places strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship. That means sessions focus on building trust, showing empathy and creating a calm space to talk through grief, parenting worries or the strain of long-term health conditions. Relationship-focused work supports exploration of emotional responses and practical ways to move forward.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and will be decided together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels helpful, then adjust methods as needed to suit the person's situation.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work, childcare and appointments, and they can reduce travel time. Telephone or lower-bandwidth options can be useful for shorter check-ins or when video is not practical.