Dr Kate Joseph

Sessions offered:

• MumSpace - every Thursday

I’m a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and I’ve worked for over twenty years in the NHS, universities, and in private practice. I originally trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and I found that although CBT worked well to resolve some issues, it wasn’t always possible, or helpful, for people to challenge their negative thoughts. People would say “I know things will be okay, but I still feel worried and sad”. So in 2013, I trained in a different approach called Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), which encourages people to develop a different relationship with their thoughts and to become more compassionate to themselves and others. Over the past decade, I’ve found CFT invaluable in helping individuals and groups to manage stress, anxiety, low mood, and low self-esteem as well as the general ups and downs of everyday life. The main idea is that to juggle the competing demands in life and care for others, it helps to be caring towards yourself.

I am also a local mum, and while I was on maternity leave I was struck by how many groups catered to the needs of the babies, while the life changes that many mums experience (such as hormonal shifts, lack of sleep, bodily changes, brain fog, pausing work, adapting to new routines and responsibilities, changes in relationships and family dynamics...) were largely ignored. 

This is why I am so passionate about mums being able to come together to share their experiences and feelings in a safe, supportive, non-judgmental space. MumSpace offers just that, alongside gentle guidance on a Compassionate Mind approach to managing feelings. It is open to mothers of children of any age, as we are all constantly adapting and learning. It is not a formal therapy group and there is no pressure to talk - you can just come along to listen. If you have a young baby, you can bring them to the group, as long as they are pre-verbal (i.e., up to 12-15 months). 

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions - we can have a chat to see if MumSpace could be a supportive space for you.

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