About Karen
Karen Barnitt is a counsellor with 13 years of experience based in the United Kingdom. She is a BACP member, and she aims to offer a warm, non-judgemental space where people can talk about what matters to them. Karen focuses on helping people gain practical coping skills and better emotional understanding.
She uses a client-centred approach that places the person’s priorities at the heart of each session. That means listening carefully, reflecting what’s been said, and working at the client’s pace.
How Karen works
Narrative therapy features in her work too, helping people reframe difficult stories and find new ways to see their lives. Trauma-focused methods are part of her practice when past events affect day-to-day living. Karen helps people develop strategies for managing flashbacks, overwhelm, and the feelings that follow traumatic experiences.
She also supports people dealing with addiction, relationship strain, anxiety and depression. Her practice covers many related concerns such as parenting stress, low self-esteem, career uncertainty, compassion fatigue, body image and issues around adoption and foster care. She also addresses more specific topics like BDSM and kink, caregiver stress, and postnatal depression.
Sessions are offered remotely using video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text messaging. People start by completing a short matching questionnaire and then schedule appointments to suit their needs. Karen aims to make therapy straightforward and focused on real, practical change.
Karen lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Karen works with
The areas below are the ones Karen selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Stress, Anxiety
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 13 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online support
Karen commonly uses client-centred work, narrative therapy and trauma-focused methods when they match a person’s needs. Client-centred therapy means the counsellor follows the person’s lead, listens closely and helps them find their own solutions; it suits people who want a collaborative, paced approach. Narrative therapy invites people to separate themselves from their problems and to rewrite difficult stories, which can help with self-esteem, life purpose and relationship patterns. Trauma-focused therapy targets the effects of distressing experiences and focuses on building coping strategies and reducing the impact of painful memories.Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what has helped or not helped in the past. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust them as work progresses so the plan stays practical and relevant.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect using video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging. Video calls allow for face-to-face conversation when that is helpful. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier to fit into a break at work. Live chat or text can suit shorter check-ins or people who prefer writing over speaking. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to arrange sessions around daily life.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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