Karen Martin, BACP
Warm, practical counselling for life changes
Details
| Name | Karen Martin |
|---|---|
| Credentials | BACP |
| Based in | United Kingdom |
| Registered with | BACP |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 4 |
About Karen
Karen Martin is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom. She works with adults who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression or life changes. Karen also helps people dealing with relationship and intimacy struggles, addiction challenges, trauma and problems with sleep.
Karen uses a conversational, down-to-earth style. She grounds sessions in listening first, then helps people notice patterns that hold them back. She pays attention to how past experiences shape present choices and relationships.
Background and approach
Her approach aims to help clients gain clearer self-awareness and emotional steadiness. Clients can expect practical tools alongside reflective conversation. Karen draws on cognitive behavioural techniques to spot unhelpful thoughts and on acceptance-based ideas to build values-led action.
Attachment-informed thinking helps when people want to understand how early bonds affect current relationships. She has four years of professional experience and is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. Sessions are offered in English and she is able to work with people internationally.
Formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text messaging. Karen describes her style as warm and collaborative. She works side by side with clients to identify steps toward a more balanced life.
To begin, people complete a brief matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions to suit their needs.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Trauma and abuse among the things Karen works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Existential Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Karen among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Karen directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Karen directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Karen uses talking therapies online
Karen draws on Narrative-informed ideas and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people untangle difficult stories and take meaningful action. Narrative work focuses on the stories people tell about themselves and their relationships, helping to separate the person from the problem and to find alternative, more helpful narratives. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, teaches people how to notice difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to steps that match their values and goals.She also uses attachment-based ideas to explore how early relationships influence current patterns, especially in intimate and close connections. Together a therapist and client decide which approaches feel most useful. Finding the right mix is part of the work and is shaped by the client's needs, goals and preferences in a collaborative way.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to make counselling more flexible. Video calls suit deeper conversations; phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier to fit around work. Live chat or text-based messaging can be helpful for brief check-ins, unfolding thoughts between sessions or when someone prefers written exchanges. These options make it easier to get regular support wherever the client is located.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of problems does this counsellor help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and sleep difficulties. Additional focus areas include abandonment, attachment issues, body image and caregiver stress.
How would you describe the therapeutic style and approach?
Her style is warm and interactive. She listens first, then uses conversational work alongside practical strategies from cognitive and acceptance-based approaches.
What is her professional background?
She has four years of professional experience helping adults regain stability and balance in their lives. Her work combines reflective conversation with skills for emotional regulation.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and is based in the United Kingdom.
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English. She is able to work with international clients.
Which session formats are available?
People can meet by video call, have phone sessions, or use live chat and text-based messaging for shorter or ongoing exchanges.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time. Costs vary with location and therapist availability.
What do I need to do to start working with this counsellor?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling sessions according to the therapist's availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Karen are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Karen where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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