Kim O'Brien, BACP, NCPS

Counsellor - stress and relationships

Client-Centred
CBT techniques
Trauma-focused work

About Kim

Counsellor Kim O'Brien is a BACP and NCPS registered professional working in the United Kingdom with three years of practice. She offers help with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, relationship and family concerns, eating problems, parenting strain, anger and self-esteem. Kim also lists coaching and related focuses such as abandonment, attachment issues and body image.

Kim uses straightforward talking therapy. Sessions focus on the person and what they want to change. She listens, reflects, and helps people spot patterns that keep causing the same pain. Practical steps and simple coping tools are offered when they fit the problem.

Her work draws on client-centred ideas that put the client’s experience first. Cognitive behavioural techniques are used to help with unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Psychodynamic ideas can help make sense of deeper patterns from earlier relationships.

For trauma and abuse she applies trauma-focused methods aimed at reducing the ongoing impact of distressing events. These approaches are used alongside other methods, depending on the issue presented and the client’s needs.

Sessions are conducted in English. Kim accepts international clients and asks people to check current session options before booking. To start, prospective clients are asked to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session via the online counselling options button.

She writes plainly and keeps sessions practical. The emphasis is on clear steps to manage symptoms, understand relationship patterns, and build day-to-day coping skills.

Approaches used in online counselling

Kim uses client-centred therapy, which means she focuses on the client’s experience and works at the client’s pace. This approach helps people feel heard and make decisions about what they want to change.

She also draws on cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. CBT looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions and offers practical techniques to reduce anxiety, manage cravings, and change unhelpful patterns.

Psychodynamic ideas are used to look at repeated relationship patterns and early attachment issues. This can help people understand why some problems keep returning and how past experiences affect current relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist and client will discuss needs, goals and preferences and agree what to try first. Techniques may be adjusted as therapy progresses so the plan remains relevant and realistic.

The original profile does not specify which session formats are used. Please confirm the available session types before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a working day, reduce travel time, allow a shorter check-in if needed, and offer options when video is not wanted. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt methods so the work remains practical and focused even when it is not face to face.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Addictions Trauma and abuse Grief Intimacy-related issues

Also works with

Relationship issuesFamily conflictsEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteem Coping with life changesCoaching

Additional focus areas

Abandonment Attachment issuesAvoidant personalityBody imageCodependencyCommitment issues Communication problems Control issues Divorce and separation Domestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgiveness Guilt and shameHoardingImpulsivityInfidelity Isolation / loneliness Life purpose Midlife crisis Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD Panic disorder and panic attacks Phobias Post-traumatic stress Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-harm Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSocial anxiety and phobia Women's issues Workplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Psychodynamic TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

3+ years

Listed in

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What issues does she help with most often?

She works with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, relationship and family concerns, eating problems, parenting strain, anger and self-esteem.

What is her general therapeutic style?

Her style is person-focused and practical. She listens, reflects, and uses tools from client-centred and cognitive behavioural approaches.

How long has she been practising?

She has three years of professional experience working in the United Kingdom.

Which professional bodies is she registered with?

She is listed with BACP and NCPS as supplied in her credentials.

Can I have sessions in another language?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.

How are sessions paid for?

Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin the process?

Use the See online counselling options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A membership or registration can be checked on the professional body's own register.

Online counselling is not emergency care. In an emergency call 999, or see the help numbers.

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