Counselling at Kyra

Kyra counselling can help with issues including addictions, obsessions, OCD, phobias, self-harm, domestic abuse, anxiety, bereavement, depression, loss, self-esteem, women’s issues, child-related issues, infertility, pregnancy and post-natal issues, relationships, sexual abuse, anger management, redundancy, stress and work-related issues.

To request counselling as a member, email contact@kyra.org.uk or ring 01904 632332 and we will send you a self-referral form to complete and return. Once this has been assessed by our Head Counsellor, you will be contacted about going onto the waiting list.

Originally from Liverpool, I now live in York and I have two sons. I enjoyed my corporate career with a major telecommunications/data company for many years until life events brought me to study counselling.

When Kyra opened in 2013, I realised what a wonderful organisation it would become – I was inspired and delighted to be able to set up our counselling service. It is an absolute privilege to work with so many dedicated volunteers and clients.

I am a registered Member of BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and I’m an integrative counsellor which means I utilise various therapies to work with my clients with person centred counselling being at the heart of all I do. I also have specialist qualifications to deal with domestic abuse and bereavement and I have worked with both women and men who needed help with various addictions.

When I’m not at Kyra, I enjoy running, cooking, walking and spending quality time with friends and family.

Having spent 20 successful years in Sales, Design and Marketing working in a very male oriented industry, I then went onto working in publishing. My partner & I had 4 health and fitness businesses, where I helped to develop and launch sports distanced-learning programs in partnership with FE Colleges and Leading Sports Brands. My career path then changed where I became an area sales & commercial manager working for a car manufacturer managing 13 car dealerships across the North East and North Yorkshire.

Wanting to leave the commercial world behind in order to have a total different career path I found myself starting to train to become a counsellor, and there my journey began 7 years ago. I qualified in 2017 and I’ve loved working with Kyra ever since March 2016.

My hobbies include Yoga, keep fit classes, walking in the countryside, gardening and being at one with nature, cooking and baking.

Prior to qualifying as a therapist, I worked in business; managing teams, project management, ICT and working with diverse groups of people. My life experience has influenced my work now in understanding that whoever we are, we all have the same fundamental needs in order to be fulfilled, to be well and happy.

I hold a Higher Diploma in Human Givens counselling and psychotherapy (HG.Dip.P). I use holistic and practical solution focused techniques based on current neurobiological and psychological knowledge to resolve emotional or physical difficulties and to help people feel better, grow and flourish.

I am particularly interested in helping people not just to recover from a current difficulty but to teach and empower them to use their innate resources and gain skills to successfully maintain and develop their sense of resilience and wellbeing through life’s up and downs.

I am proud to be part of the Kyra counselling team and contribute to supporting women to overcome challenges and discover their strong, confident selves and move forward with their lives.

To relax I enjoy spending time with my family, pets and especially, my grandchildren. Whenever I can I like to be outdoors as I am a keen gardener and beekeeper.

My working life started with over twenty years’ experience of training and development, change management, and one to one management support in a variety of sectors. These included the travel, import/export businesses, education and various not-for-profit organisations. This gave me the opportunity to travel myself and I have spent time working abroad, most recently in Africa a few years ago.

I’d always been interested in ‘what made people tick’, and was about 19 when I first thought that we just don’t listen to one another well enough, although it took until 2005 before I started studying counselling and psychology. Since learning more about Human Givens, I’ve become enthusiastic about its positive approach and use of a range of therapeutic techniques, appropriate to each individual. The approach focuses on using effective, research-based techniques that help people build on their strengths to find more beneficial ways to deal with current issues and move on with their lives as quickly as possible.

When not at work, my interests include cooking, reading, languages and travel, world cinema and, most importantly, spending time with friends and family.

I live in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and commute weekly to Kyra so I can offer face to face counselling. I have been with Kyra since late 2019, while I was completing my MA degree in Counselling. I have now been qualified for over a year and have continued my journey with Kyra, and all the wonderful things they do. While I started in the broader field of Psychology I have always been naturally drawn to Counselling. I believe that there aren’t enough safe spaces for people to open up and just be themselves, but we can achieve this safe space through Counselling and I love being a part of that.

As well as my work at Kyra, I also work for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, delivering counselling to people who are blind, partially sighted, or affected by sight loss in other ways.

Hello, my name is Lis and I have volunteered with Kyra since 2016. During that time I have enjoyed many different roles including working with members on the garden therapy project, supporting mindfulness courses and also a period as volunteer co-ordinator.

I’m a qualified counsellor and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) which means I am committed to providing a professional service and that I work within their ethical framework. I trained in the person-centred approach, so your needs are always my focus, and you remain in control in deciding what is best for you.

I want your counselling sessions to give you hope for positive change, and to allow you to see more clearly how you can achieve what is best for you, at this time in your life. I don’t pretend this will necessarily be easy, but I am prepared to be with you on your journey, give you my undivided attention, my unconditional understanding, and my respect.

In May 2023 I had an operation that ended a period of years of chronic pain and disability in my life, following a misdiagnosis. I hope that this will help me to support Kyra members who seek counselling with these issues, as I have lived experience and understanding of the problems and adversities you may experience with chronic illness.

I live in the village of Bishopthorpe, just south of York with my husband and three cats.

I have volunteered with Kyra for three years, getting to know the lovely members who attend the Drop Ins.

Whilst volunteering, I graduated from my undergraduate degree in Counselling, Coaching and Mentoring at York St John University. I am currently completing my Master in Counselling as I aim to become qualified as an Integrative Humanistic Counsellor.

Outside of Kyra I am an avid coin collector, Netflix obsessed and enjoy window shopping.

I have lived in York for 20 years and love serving the community I live in. I am a counsellor and psychotherapist and I will always enjoy seeing people make change and move forwards.

I have worked with Kyra for 3 years and it is such a great place that offers so much to the women of York.