Karen Barnitt, BACP

Karen Barnitt is a counsellor with 13 years’ experience who aims to make sessions feel welcoming and straightforward. She works from a client-centred stance, helping people talk through difficult feelings and practical problems. Karen is an accredited member of the BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She invites people to share at their own pace and focuses on what each person needs right now.

Her background includes long experience with trauma-informed care and support for addiction-related issues. She uses a mix of client-centred, narrative, and trauma-focused approaches to tailor sessions to the person in front of her. That means she listens to your story, helps you make sense of patterns, and supports practical steps to cope with everyday stress.

Karen often helps with anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem and relationship concerns. She also works with parenting and caregiver stress, postpartum depression, and issues linked to adoption and foster care. Other areas of focus include grieving life changes, compassion fatigue, and recovery from domestic violence or substance problems.

Her style is calm and non-judgemental. Sessions aim to build coping strategies and small, realistic changes. Clients can expect straightforward conversations, reflective listening and collaborative planning.

If you are seeking support while juggling caring responsibilities, Karen lists Supporting carers among her focuses and can help explore manageable steps for carers. To begin, follow the service’s booking flow and match to her through the short questionnaire.

How Karen’s approaches work with online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening closely and reflecting what you say so you feel heard and understood. It helps when someone needs room to talk things through and make choices about change.

Narrative Therapy looks at the stories people tell about their lives and helps separate a person from their difficulties. It can be useful for shifting unhelpful labels and finding alternative ways to move forward.

Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding how past painful events affect day-to-day life now, and on building skills to manage strong reactions. It is often chosen when people bring a history of abuse, loss or frightening experiences.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss what feels most helpful and try different ways of working based on your needs, goals and preferences. You and the counsellor decide together which methods to use and adjust them as you go.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people keep a steady routine while juggling caring responsibilities, work or study. Registered or accredited professionals can explain which session formats they offer and help plan a structure that fits everyday life.