Kathleen Rao, BACP

Kathleen Rao is a counsellor who uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people find clarity and calm. She focuses on stress, anxiety, grief, parenting and depression, and aims to make the first steps into therapy feel manageable and straightforward.

Kathleen believes people know themselves best and that therapy is a place to build confidence in that self-knowledge. She works to create a trusting space where clients can talk about hard things without feeling judged. Her manner is warm and direct, with an emphasis on listening first and following what the person brings.

She follows an integrative approach, drawing on different methods depending on a person’s needs. That means sessions can look different week to week - sometimes reflective conversation, sometimes practical strategies to manage symptoms. She has particular experience supporting people through grief and complex grief, and with perinatal and postnatal health concerns including complications linked to pregnancy.

Kathleen also supports people coping with long-term health conditions and burnout. Her work touches on attachment issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, caregiver stress, and fatherhood concerns where these arise in conversation. She can talk through money and life-purpose worries alongside mood and panic symptoms.

She holds membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. Kathleen has three years’ counselling experience in a client-facing professional role and practised within the United Kingdom. Sessions are offered in English.

How evidence-based methods work online

Kathleen draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques and adapts them for remote work. One common approach involves guided conversation and reflection to help people make sense of grief and long-term health concerns. Another method focuses on practical strategies for managing anxiety and panic, such as breathing and activity planning, taught and practised during sessions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapy process. Kathleen collaborates with each person to decide what fits best based on their goals, current difficulties and preferences. She reviews progress together and adjusts methods as needed so sessions stay useful and relevant.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, giving different ways to connect. Video is useful for a fuller conversational experience; phone calls can work when bandwidth is limited; live chat and messaging suit shorter check-ins or people who prefer not to be on camera. These options aim to make counselling more flexible and easier to fit into daily life for people in the United Kingdom.