Therapy With Kat

25/07/2025

People often ask, “What actually happens in therapy?”
And the answer is: it depends. But in relational therapy, what happens between us matters just as much as what you bring to the room.

Relational depth allows us to explore not just the stories you tell, but how those stories feel in your body, how they show up in the room, and how we make sense of them together.

It’s slow. It’s intentional. And often life-changing.

💬Have you experienced this kind of connection before?

23/07/2025

Nothing blooms all year long.

And neither do you.

We all have our seasons of fruitfulness, and our seasons of...less.

If you are working at full capacity, that's OK. You don't need to take anything else on.

Give yourself permission to just be.

21/07/2025

A routine isn't just about making sure all the jobs get done, or that the kids get to their activities and you still have time to make tea.

Routine is about nervous system regulation - the predictability of the day has a soothing effect.

Is it any wonder that we, and our children, can end up dysregulated?

Summer holidays can especially feel dysregulating for neurodivergent children, and that inevitably ripples out into the household.

As a parent, the emotional labour can increase, as we try to hold everyone else steady.

So if you find the summer holidays tough, please know it is not you. It is the situation, and the additional pressures that it brings.

💬 How does your child respond in breaks in routine?

18/07/2025

Sometimes we tell ourselves that we're not good enough.

Not patient enough.
Not organised enough.
Not strong enough.
Not coping as well as other people.

But what if this isn't about not being good enough?

What if it's about the fact that you've been carrying too much, with too little support, for too long?

What if the problem isn't you - but the unrealistic expectations you've been trying to live up to?

This isn't a personal failure.
It's a human moment.

And you're allowed to ask:
"What would change if I believed I was already enough?"

16/07/2025

This very glamorous photo was taken about a month ago. I had just finished the Edgworth 10km trail run. My first ever organised "race". Just to be clear, the only person I was racing was myself, because I had no delusions about winning anything.

My reason for sharing this today...wow I learnt a lot by taking part in this event.

I felt nervous beforehand. Not because of the running part, but because it felt like a leap into the unknown.

The weather was foul. The route was muddy. There were a lot more steep climbs than I was prepared for, including steps, and an evil switchback to get to the finish line.

Thoughts running through my head included, "Why are you doing this at 42 years old?", and "what's the point of this?"

What I discovered was, the "point" is about self-discovery. Doing things I haven't done before to learn something new about myself.

And what was the thing I learned about myself? That I can do hard things. That if I just let myself go, things can become more effortless than my brain would have me believe.

Was I tired and wet at the end? Absolutely. Was I proud? Oh yeah! But I was also grateful to my body and the people who stood in the rain to support me, and nourished by the beautiful scenery I ran through.

14/07/2025

Let's talk about email therapy - and why it can be a game-changer, especially if you're neurodivergent.

Some people love the idea of sitting face-to-face and talking it all through.

But for others, that setup is exhausting, overwhelming, or just not how they process best.

💻 Email therapy offers something different:
✅ Time to think, write, and reflect at your own pace
✅ No pressure to "perform" emotionally in the moment
✅ Space for deeper processing, without masking
✅ A written record you can revisit when you need clarity or reassurance.

If you:
🌱 Process things more slowly or in writing
🌱 Struggle with in-person interactions or phone/video fatigue
🌱 Find speaking about emotions hard in real time..email therapy might offer more comfort, more space - and just as much depth.

For neurodivergent people especially, this way of working can be less draining, more accessible, and much more you-shaped.

💬 Curious what email therapy may feel like?
I'm happy to share more - no pressure, no obligation.

11/07/2025

What does relational therapy actually look like in the therapy room?

It’s not just about analysing your childhood or fixing what’s broken.

It’s about us, in the here and now — noticing how you relate to yourself, to me, and to others in your world.

You might find yourself saying,
🗣️ “I didn’t realise I always assume people are angry with me,”
or
🧠 “This feels uncomfortable, but I trust you, and that’s new.”

Relational therapy means the relationship between us becomes part of the work — a mirror, a practice ground, a safe space to notice patterns and try something different.

It’s gentle. It’s collaborative. And it’s rooted in the idea that healing doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens in connection.

💬 Does this idea resonate with you? Or have you experienced relational therapy yourself?

09/07/2025

A core belief is something you've heard so many times, it starts to feel like truth.
But it's not always your truth.
And that's where we begin.

Maybe it started with a comment from a parent, a teacher, or something left unsaid that lingered for years.
It doesn't need to be traumatic to be powerful.

Core beliefs sound like:

"I'm too much."
"If I don't keep the peace, something bad will happen"
"I have to be useful to be loved."

They can sit just under the surface - shaping how you speak, love, parent, or set boundaries.

In therapy, we bring these beliefs into the light.
We ask:
🌱 Is this mine?
🧠 Is it true?
❤️ Is it helping me live the life I want?

Unlearning isn't easy. But you don't have to do it alone.

08/07/2025

07/07/2025

Do you know that feeling when it seems like everyone else is managing just fine - but you're struggling to keep up?

The school run feels chaotic.
The dinner routine turns into a battle.
And the voice in your head says:
"Why can't I do this like everyone else?"

I know that feeling.
Not just as a therapist, but as a parent too.

Even with everything I know - about core beliefs, nervous systems, and regulation - I still find myself overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure.
Because parenting isn't a test of knowledge.
It's a daily, emotional experience. And some days are just hard.

If this is you right now: you're not failing. You're human.
And maybe what you need isn't more advice - it's more space to say"
"This is harder than I expected."
Without shame. Without comparison.

Does this feel familiar to you?

04/07/2025

We think about burnout as this big dramatic thing. Ending up in bed staring. Not being able to leave the house.

It absolutely can be those things.

But it can also be subtle. Because most of us keep going and ignore the signs of burnout. The things I mention above are where we can end up if we don't address it soon enough.

Whatever the life situation you are going through, whether that is work stress, or parenting, or meeting the many demands that get thrown at us on the daily, burnout in some form will touch most of us at some point in our lives.

If you notice yourself zoning out, getting stuck to the sofa unable to go to bed, resorting to cereal for dinner because cooking is the last thing you can face, you might be experiencing burnout.

If that is the case, you don't have to slog it out by yourself. You can get help. I can help.

02/07/2025

📚 What I’m reading right now…

Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg

I’m currently halfway through a Specialist Diploma in Neurodiversity-Informed Practice with , and this book is my choice for the required book review. 🌿

I’m taking my time with it because I want to absorb everything about the beautifully complex diversity of our brains. 🧠✨

Reading this makes me question the idea of “neurotypical” — when you really think about it, how many of us truly fit into that box? Especially when we consider the effects of things like trauma and grief. 💭