Katherine Burkinshaw, online CBT and EMDR therapist

Katherine Burkinshaw

Online CBT and EMDR Therapist

Anxiety Disorders Specialist.

About Katherine

Katherine is an experienced Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, EMDR therapist and clinical supervisor with more than 30 years of professional experience across the NHS and private practice.

She provides online therapy for adults and young people experiencing anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma and other longstanding emotional difficulties.

Katherine is fully accredited with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and is an EMDR Europe-accredited practitioner. Her extensive NHS experience includes specialist trauma services, perinatal mental health services, addictions services and primary and secondary care. She has also provided trauma therapy to survivors and people bereaved by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Katherine’s breadth of experience enables her to draw upon several evidence-based therapeutic approaches while tailoring treatment to the individual person, their experiences and their goals.

Katherine’s Approach to Therapy

Katherine offers a warm, compassionate and collaborative approach. She aims to create a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship in which you can speak openly about what you are experiencing without feeling judged.

Her approach recognises that the beliefs we develop about ourselves, other people and the world are often shaped by our early relationships and experiences. These beliefs can influence our emotions, behaviour, relationships and the choices we make, sometimes leaving us feeling trapped in unhelpful patterns.

Therapy with Katherine can help you understand what may be maintaining your difficulties and develop practical ways to respond differently. Together, you will agree meaningful goals and identify the therapeutic approach most likely to help you achieve them.

Katherine’s work is focused on creating lasting change. She will help you develop greater awareness, self-compassion and practical coping skills that you can continue using after therapy has ended. Progress and goals are reviewed regularly so that sessions remain focused on what matters most to you.

Areas of Specialism

• Anxiety and excessive worry

• Panic attacks and panic disorder

• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Health anxiety

• Social anxiety

• Emetophobia

• Phobias, including birth phobia

• Depression and low mood

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Trauma and complex childhood trauma

• Intrusive thoughts

• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)

• Pregnancy and postnatal anxiety

• Postnatal depression

• Perinatal trauma, grief and baby loss

• ADHD-related emotional difficulties

• Low self-esteem

• Addictions

• Stress and emotional difficulties

• Sleep difficulties

Katherine is highly experienced in all evidence based practices for the listed disorders including Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and Trauma focused CBT (TfCBT) for the treatment of trauma, and exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD.

CBT and EMDR for Anxiety and Trauma

Katherine uses established, evidence-based therapies tailored to each client’s individual needs.

For trauma and PTSD, she may draw upon Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), trauma-focused CBT and Narrative Exposure Therapy.

When working with OCD, health anxiety or body dysmorphic disorder, Katherine can incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). This approach helps clients gradually face feared situations while reducing the compulsions, checking, avoidance or reassurance-seeking that can keep anxiety going.

Katherine also has specialist training in CBT for ADHD and considerable experience supporting women experiencing pregnancy-related anxiety, birth trauma, postnatal depression, perinatal grief and baby loss.

Start Online Therapy With Katherine

If you are experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, PTSD, panic, low self-esteem or another emotional difficulty, Katherine may be able to help you understand what is keeping the problem going and develop practical, evidence-based strategies for change.

Complete our confidential application form and the My Therapist Online clinical team will review your needs. If Katherine appears to be a suitable match, you will be offered a free 15-minute introductory call before deciding whether you would like to begin therapy.

Therapeutic Approaches & Models

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR)

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

• Trauma-focused CBT

• Schema Therapy

• Compassion-Focused Therapy

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

• Narrative Exposure Therapy
  
  
  

Katherine works with:

• Adults (19-65+ Years)

  
  

Client testimonials

“Katherine has changed my life. I wish I had met her a decade or 2 sooner.” Anonymous

“Katherine is an excellent therapist, I felt very at ease talking to her and trusted her expertise at helping me to deal with my particular challenges. I liked that she was able to use many approaches to help me deal with my problems, and although it was at times challenging in sessions with her, I always felt reassured that I had more strategies to cope with various scenarios after sessions.” BKi

“Katherine has been wonderful - she has completely turned my life around, I couldn't recommend her highly enough. She is kind, compassionate, and very knowledgeable - and I never felt like she was ever trying to dismiss me or my symptoms, nor take advantage. I am truly grateful to her had her as my therapist, and if ever I should need to speak to a therapist again I would definitely contact Katherine. Thank you!” Annonymous

“Therapy was a massive help, Kathrine is a superb therapist and has amazing warmth and compassion as well as knowledge and analytical skills. I've improved a huge amount over a short period of time and my quality of life has improved markedly. Couldn't recommend her enough really, fantastic at what she does.” Mark

“My experience was amazing. It made me realise a lot about myself and behaviour. Katherine is a wonderful, caring person and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her as she has turned my life around and helped me to look at things in a totally new way. Thank you.”

“Thank you for your help, understanding, patient, knowledge, expertise, teaching and empathy which you have shown towards me over the last few months! I truly believe the guidance you have shown me has enhanced my life.”

“Thank you so much for your support over the last few months. I’ve learned so much about myself and skills that I’ll carry with me into the future. The help and support you’ve given me has been amazing and I can’t thank you enough.”

Professional Accreditations and Qualifications

• BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist – membership number 110119

• EMDR Europe-accredited practitioner

• Member of the British Psychological Society

• MSc Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University – Distinction

• Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Royal Holloway, University of London – Distinction

• Diploma in Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London

• Certificate in Integrative Counselling, Gestalt Centre, University of North London

Specialist Training and Continuing Professional Development

Katherine’s additional professional training includes:

• Advanced Schema Therapy – Schema Therapy School

• CBT for ADHD – Professor Russell Ramsay

• EMDR – Alexandra Richman

• Trauma-focused CBT – Dr Kerry Young and Dr Deborah Lee

• Perinatal trauma – British Psychological Society

• Advanced Compassion-Focused Therapy – Dr Paul Gilbert, Dr Deborah Lee and Dr Chris Irons

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy – Jon Teasdale, Mark Williams and Jon Kabat-Zinn

• Narrative Exposure Therapy – Dr Kerry Young

• CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, BDD and health anxiety – Dr David Veale

Katherine regularly undertakes professional development and clinical supervision to ensure that her work remains informed by current research and best practice.