I'm afraid my waiting list is currently full. Feel free to still get in touch
but be prepared that you may be waiting until January 2027 at the earliest.
Welcome to my counselling services for children and adolescents.
Each young person comes to me facing unique challenges.
My hope is that every young person leaves feeling deeply understood,
valued, accepted and empowered.
What makes my counselling service different?
I have undergone specialist training in integrative counselling and psychotherapy specifically for children and adolescents. This means that I can tailor my approach to suit each young person, offering a mixture of creative, play and talking therapies.
Services
Adolescent Counselling
Integrative Counselling for 11 - 18 year olds.
In person or online.
About me!
Hello, my name is Katie Cottrell. I have worked with children, adolescents and their families for over twenty years in various capacities. Children can sense that I genuinely care and so I quickly build trusting relationships with them. This relationship forms the foundation for being able to help them with whatever difficulty they are facing. I show young people that their thoughts and feelings matter and they leave me feeling better about themselves regardless of the difficulties they came with.
Most counsellors qualify with a level 4 in adult counselling and then do a level 5 diploma in order to work with children. I have trained to a Masters level with a 3 year specialised course in working with young people and their families. The training was amazing! It included infant observations (the magic of watching a baby and mother bonding for 20 weeks) and family observations (assessing attachment strategies of parents and children). My training was also integrative, which means that I have trained in several therapeutic approaches so I can adapt to the needs of the young person in front of me. The main approaches I have trained in are Child-Centred Play Therapy, Person-Centred Counselling, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. I also trained separately as a Mindfulness Teacher and incorporate this into my work. Furthermore, I love my work and am constantly attending training courses, learning more in order to be the very best therapist I can be.
I am dedicated to supporting the mental and emotional health of young people. My job is a privilege and I love it!
I am based in Bournemouth and my play therapy service is run from my home.
I also offer adolescent therapy in-person or online.
One of my favourite quotes:
"It is an absolute certainty that no one can know their own beauty, or perceive a sense of their own worth, until it has been reflected back to them in the mirror of another loving, caring human being".
John Joseph Powell
Testimonials
We have been seeing Katie at Patch for over a year now with our daughter who is a PDA autistic and has very high anxiety. Katie has been amazing in all ways. We have changed our parenting style and language we use with our daughter and it has made home life much easier without extreme emotional meltdowns and improved all areas that she was struggling with. We have slowly but surely been getting our daughter back after she hit burn out nearly 3 years ago, where everything in that time failed her more! She is so excited about her sessions every week. Katie has also written letters in support and advocating for our daughter and even attended professional meetings. We absolutely cannot fault Katie’s service to us.
In-person, play therapy
Finding the right therapist for our neurodivergent child felt daunting at first, but Katie quickly allayed any concerns. Despite the sessions being online, Katie created a space where our child felt safe, seen, and genuinely understood. Her approach is both compassionate and insightful, blending professional expertise with a deep sense of empathy. Over the course of a few months, we have witnessed an enormous shift in our child; in their confidence, self-awareness and emotional resilience. The parenting sessions and additional resources have been helpful in keeping us updated with progress and have been a useful source of additional information which we can refer back to in future.
Katie has empowered our family to better understand and support one another and we are deeply grateful for the expertise, care and dedication she has shown.
Online, teen psychotherapy
I wanted to share my thoughts, our experience, and the outcome of play therapy with our son.
I hope other people can read this and feel hopeful for their children.
Before Daniel (name changed) started therapy he presented with selective mutism, and as a result, with a high level of anxiety. Watching him struggle with his emotions and not being able to be what he really was, was the worst for us as parents. It was very sad to see two different versions of our child. We didn't know what to do.
We had a happy and bubbly Daniel at home, and a scared and frozen one outside.
As Daniel attended his sessions with Katie, he gradually started to fit in the world around him. At first he started to talk at nursery, and later on in the community as well. It was as if the ice bubble that was around him melted. His body language changed - his shoulders started to relax and the look on his face showed less tension.
He finally "made sense of himself".
The most amazing change was not his speech though, it was seeing him feeling good within himself and finally blooming.
We couldn't be more satisfied with this journey. It made a huge difference to our child's emotions.
Daniel can now:
1- manage better his emotions
2- have a positive vision of himself
3- talk freely to friends and people without freezing
4- enjoy his relationships deeper
5- have better control of himself
6- stop and think before hitting other children
7- initiate conversations
8- have a can- do attitude
9- be himself
Thank you Katie for your work, we couldn't recommend you enough.
In-person play therapy
We are incredibly grateful to Katie. She has been nothing short of brilliant in her work with our children, showing exceptional kindness, care, and understanding. Her ability to connect with the kids has made such a positive impact, and they always look forward to their sessions with her. Not only is she amazing with the children, but she also provides invaluable guidance and support to parents. Her insights have been so helpful in navigating challenges, and I would highly recommend her to any family seeking advice or help for their children
In-person, play therapy
Fun facts about me ...
