Karen Lawrence

Before becoming a counselor, I volunteered with confidential crisis help lines such as the Samaritans and St John Ambulance, a charitable organization dedicated to the teaching and practice of first aid. I am qualified as a social worker, having earned a Master of Social Work from Queen's University Belfast. I had the privilege of working as a student with Marie Curie in Specialist Palliative Care, collaborating with a highly skilled, multidisciplinary team of trained professionals caring for the very vulnerable, including people with complex symptoms and life-limiting illnesses. My role was to support patients and families, providing direct care to patients and support to their loved ones. This also included supporting children whose parents and grandparents had died As an integrative therapist, I tailor my work to your needs and am now dedicated to my private practice. I offer various approaches, including psychodynamic, attachment, systemic, and trauma-informed methods. Trained by Relate, I provided therapy for 20 years, working with couples and families on issues like relationships, communication, intimacy, conflict, life transitions, and parenting. I hold a Relate Certificate in Couples and Marital Counselling and a Postgraduate Diploma in Family Therapy and Couples. I served as Relate Training Co-ordinator, designing, delivering, and evaluating counseling and corporate training. I earned two specialist certificates in Sex Addiction and Problematic Pornography Use (PPU), also known as CSBD, and am an active ATSAC member. I believe continuous learning comes from my clients, and I feel privileged to accompany them on their journey.