I am now offering face-to-face work (with some Covid-19 protocols still in place) as well as the option to work online.
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Feeling anxious, angry, depressed? Or having issues in your relationship?
If right now you feel overwhelmed, having a place to be heard and understood may help.
Are you’re having issues in your relationship or marriage and struggling to communicate effectively with your partner? Perhaps a safe place where you can discuss your problems without fighting would be useful.
How can I help?
I offer confidential, non-judgmental therapy in a non-discriminatory practice for both individuals and couples aged 18 and over.
How to get started and what does it cost?
I suggest an initial session, at my standard fee, to meet and talk. This session will allow us both to ask any questions before we decide if we want to proceed. More details on what to expect at the initial session for individuals can be found here and for couples.
At the end of this session, if you feel unable to commit to working weekly or that counselling is not for you, you are not obliged to book any further sessions.
Victim/Survivor Concessional Rates
I offer two sessions per week at a concessional rate to those subjected to domestic or ritual abuse, sex trafficking, mind control, sexual and gender-based violence, or anyone presenting with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), please contact me to discuss further.
Laura McCarthy
MSc (Psych), CTA, Dip., UKCP, MBACP
Individual Counselling
Therapy works best when there is a good ‘therapeutic alliance’ between a therapist and client. I believe it is important that my clients feel happy to work with me, and equally, I feel I have the right skill set to ensure a client gets the best results and value for money out of the work.
This fit is something we can jointly determine in an initial session.
Initial Session
The initial individual session will be 50 minutes long, and charged at my usual fee.
I start with some admin questions (including your address, DOB, and the details of your doctor), to ensure I have all the background information to continue working together. I will then ask you about what brings you to therapy.
Towards the end of the session, we will agree together if we are happy to work together, what outcome of the therapy we will concentrate on, and if the work should be short-term (ten sessions), long-term (six months to one year), or open-ended.
Weekly or Fortnightly Sessions
I offer therapy on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Sessions will be held at the same time and date each week and will be 50 minutes long.
Missing or Re-scheduling Sessions
If a session cannot be attended one week’s notice is required. Sessions not attended without one week’s notice will be charged at my usual fee.
I will always try to find an alternative appointment time, however re-scheduled appointments in the same week are not always possible.
Couples Counselling
Sometimes relationships get stuck, or someone gets hurt and it becomes hard to talk without fighting. When working with couples, I offer a safe, impartial space to work through issues, to talk, hear, and be heard.
Couples counselling is not about taking sides, making judgments, or attributing blame. Instead, I make myself available to facilitate conversation and offer both parties an equal opportunity to discuss what is wrong, what brought you to this place, what you will do differently if you decide to move forward and stay together.
Important: If you or your partner are very unsure if you want to remain in your relationship, I suggest individual counselling for that person first before starting couples work. Counselling with couples requires both parties to work towards healing. Furthermore, where there is active domestic abuse or violence occurring in the relationship, I will not work with both members of the relationship in the room at the same time. I recommend that the perpetrator of the abuse contacts me for individual counselling.
Initial Session
In couples work, you will learn to understand and communicate your feelings and needs more clearly, without ending up in arguments. You will learn to listen to your partner and hear how they feel and what they need from you to make the relationship better.
I offer couples the option of on-going counselling in 60-min weekly sessions (usually six to twelve sessions are required) or an intense 120-min recovery session to get to the heart of the issue and kick start change.
There is no one size fits all, if you may prefer to methodically work through your relationship issues then weekly sessions may suit you best (please note: one 60-min session is not enough time to do the work required).
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the issues you are facing, then an intense 120-minute recovery session might be best, followed by some ongoing hourly sessions, although for some just one 120-min session is enough.
Weekly or Fortnighly Sessions
After we have agreed to work together, our weekly or fortnightly sessions will be held at the same time and date each week/fortnight and will be 60 minutes long.
Missing or Re-scheduling Sessions
If a session cannot be attended one week’s notice is required. Regular sessions missed without one week’s notice will be charged at my usual fee. I will always try to find an alternative appointment time but please note, re-scheduled appointments in the same week are not always possible.
Issues Worked With
Abusive Relationships
Domestic Abuse (Emotional, Physical, Sexual or Financial)
Domestic Violence
Narcissistic Abuse
Gaslighting
Love Bombing
Gender Based Violence
Sibling Abuse
Trauma
Childhood Trauma
Child Sexual Abuse
Ritual Abuse
Mind Control
C-PTSD & PTSD
DID / Dissociation
Bullying
Panic Attacks
Suicidal Thoughts
Anxiety
Depression
Anger
Low Self-Esteem
Identity Issues
Neurodivergence
Career Issues
Bereavement
Body Dysmorphia
Couples
Relationship Issues
Marriage Counselling
Pre-Marriage Counselling
Infidelity
Separation & Divorce
Heartbreak
My Fees
Individual (50mins)
£ 80
Per SessionCouple (60mins)
£ 90
Per SessionCouples (120mins)
£ 150
Per 120-min Recovery SessionRamsgate, Kent or Online
(Sun-Tue 1-8pm)
Individual (50mins)
£ 125
Per SessionCouples (60mins)
£ 150
Per SessionCouples (120mins)
£ 250
Per 120-min Recovery SessionHarley Street, London
(Sat 9am-12pm)
My Qualifications
Training & Qualifications
- Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA) (EATA).
- MSc. in Psychotherapy (Middlesex University).
- Clinical Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy (Metanoia Institute).
- Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapeutic Counselling (Metanoia Institute).
- Extensive specialist training in C-PTSD and DID.
- Diploma in Life Coaching (New Skills Academy).
- Clinical Supervision Certificate, viewed through an Intersectional lens. (TA East London Institute).
Clinical Experience
- Seven years of experience in private practice.
- Two additional years experience as an Associate Counsellor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, counselling undergraduate music and dance students.
- Two years of specialist mentor experience for undergraduate university music students with mental health issues.
- Supervision of other counsellors and psychotherapists.
Complex Mental Health Experience
I have long-term experience working with clients who have been diagnosed with personality disorders. I have a particular interest in working with clients who have been diagnosed with the following:
- Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
- Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).
Domestic, Emotional, and Narcissistic Abuse
I have worked with many clients who have been subjected to various forms of abuse by their partners, both whilst they are still in the abusive relationship and after it has ended. Abuse within a relationship can be difficult to talk about and sometimes difficult to pinpoint for the victim. With validation and empowerment, I aim to help you make sense of your experience. I will help you consider your options to place healthier boundaries within your relationship or to be alongside you if you decide you would like to leave, supporting you throughout the legal process of separation if necessary.
Ethical Principles
I am deeply committed to, practice and abide by the principles and ethics of EATA.
Trusteeship
I am the counselling and supervising trustee for Woman’s Trust. Woman’s Trust is the charity that helps women in London overcome the mental and emotional harm caused by domestic abuse by providing women-only, client-led, trauma-informed counselling and support services.
Memberships
To demonstrate my competence I am a member of several organisations, each of which requires the fulfillment of particular standards of training and knowledge by its associates.
- Full clinical member of the UK Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- Registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
- Member of Metanoia Institute.
As a reflection of my work with abuse survivors, I have been accepted as a member of:
- Ritual Abuse Information Network and Support (RAINS)
- European Society for Trauma and Dissociation (ESTD)
- Anti Victim Blaming, Trauma-Informed Network (AVBTI)
Leadership Experience
In addition to my psychotherapy work, I have 25 years of business experience and continue to work as a marketing director within high-profile, high-pressured music companies, entertainment venues, and leisure experiences.
Through my leadership experience, I have developed the skills necessary to support all kinds of people to thrive in stressful situations and the ability to successfully mentor and coach them into fulfilling their potential in both academia and business.
My Ramsgate practice is a 1 minute walk from both Waitrose and the seafront. Being 1 mile away from Ramsgate Train Station, I am within easy reach of Margate, Broadstairs, Dumpton, Birchington, Westgate, Pegwell, Sandwich, Deal, Dover, Whitstable and Herne Bay.
My London practice is in Harley Street W1G, making it within easy reach of North London, Islington, Euston, Camden and Central London. – Please note: hours at my London practice are currently very limited.
