Main photo with kind permission from Alicia Hendrick.
Hello and Welcome. My name is Katie Hendrick and I am a Counselling Psychologist, with a background in nursing, specialising in working with clients who experience trauma. This can often be related to shock or changes in levels of anxiety, anger and depression. For some people there is, for example, a clear awareness of an unresolved childhood trauma and abuse or an experience of overwhelming distress from unexpected life events like a bereavement that may impact on their working life, relationships, sleep pattern. Everyone is unique and if you are struggling then the type of therapy work I offer may be of interest to you.
Client Testimonial
" I have had pretty-much persistent experiences of depersonalisation and derealisation for the
past 9 years. These dissociative experiences were triggered by an isolated incident in my late
teens, but I have a background of trauma, emotional neglect and lack of atunement (sic) from
caregivers. The triggering moment of depersonalisation and derealisation was one when I felt
terror like never before and looking back went into a complete freeze state (dorsal vagal
shutdown as I have read). The people around me thought I was dead but was likely in a sort
of tonic immobility state. I couldn’t make sense of my experiences at the time but quickly
started talking therapies. I tried person-centred counselling, psychodynamic therapy, EMDR,
internal family systems, and somatic work. None of them had succeeded in shifting the
dissociative experiences and the triggers of the dissociation– mainly around relationships
with others. In working with Katie and DBR, I saw through the process how much shock
energy my body was holding. Through our sessions of tracking my body’s responses, I would
see how much my body would discharge and how much it was holding on to. I began to
realise why depersonalisation and derealisation became necessary for me – the world and my
body just didn’t feel safe to inhabit fully. I began to see how no amount of talking therapy
would convince my body it was safe for me to be inside. DBR, on the other hand, seems to
shift and release the pent-up energy that creates the need for dissociation. The amazing thing
about DBR is the emergence of a new way of seeing myself at the end of the session. It
happens unexpectedly but I can tell on a gut-level something has been released and shifted.
My entire nervous system feels completely different. This happens pretty consistently with
DBR sessions, but the “shift” is something I would experience very sporadically with other
therapies I have done. Katie has been a great support and is the only therapist I have worked
with who is willing to listen about depersonalisation and derealisation and not write it off as
some anxiety symptom. I would recommend Katie and her work to anyone with trauma,
relationship difficulties, or a history of therapies that haven’t worked. I look forward to
seeing the continued progress that I make in our sessions together."
(With kind permission, G.R. 2025)
"Katie helped me so much in reducing my anxiety before a medical procedure I was very scared about.
As a therapist myself with good experience of talking therapy, this different approach really worked well for me.
I highly recommend Katie with her skills and kindness." (With kind permission, A O' T 2025)
"Working with Katie was immensely helpful in a very difficult period of my life. She helped me to get out of my anxious, over-thinking mind and into my body through DBR. I was very stressed, over-whelmed and felt very easily triggered due to issues with my job, family and the passing of my father coupled with suppressed memories from childhood re-surfacing all at the same time.
With DBR I was able to unlock emotions and memories that were deeply suppressed, ones that I had been unable to access despite years of traditional talk therapy. I have been aware of trauma and had vague memories from my childhood, but it was too over whelming for my conscious brain to allow me to remember. I needed to go slow and release in layers, which I did with guidance from Katie and I released trapped emotions that had been affecting me for over 30 years. I recalled some memories and sometimes it was just the emotions around them which was just as effective given they were quite traumatic. Being able to release the emotions without being caught in the emotions for weeks/months was incredibly healing. I feel substantially lighter, more grounded and less fearful moving forward.
Katie has an understanding of sensitive/intuitive people that helped me to accept and ground into my truth and she was able to gently coax me in the right direction to allow the most healing. She observed tension in my body that I didn't notice and then I worked with it in DBR. This allowed me to feel safe to release years of pain.
I worked with Katie for 8 months and I would not have moved as quickly through this difficult time in my life if I had not been working with her. It was beacon in a very overwhelming and lonely time of my life. I feel able to move forward with more hope and strength than I have felt in years. I would not hesitate to recommend Katie and I can't say the same of some therapists I have worked with". (With kind permission S. F. 2025)
"I am a psychotherapist, and a colleague recommended DBR for processing traumatic experiences. As a result of working with Katherine, I feel more at peace, and my connection with my body and its needs has improved substantially. I am now more able to be present in the moment. I am deeply grateful to Katherine for her work and her support in my trauma healing. I highly recommend Katherine as an excellent professional and DBR practitioner." (With Kind permission, D. R. 2025)
"I am doing well. I am noticing that I seem to be allowing myself to experience and express my emotions rather than suppressing them (particularly with alcohol). I am far more curious of my reactions and feel that I am able to then process them and accept them more - if that makes sense. I also seem to have more space/motivation when thinking of the future and rarely have those feelings of being stalked by something in the past.
Thank you for working with me over these past few months and for being so good at your job".
(With kind permission, J.O. 2021)
“ In my time with Katie carrying out my therapy, I have found it to be more beneficial to my mental health than I thought possible. In speaking about hard issues alone helped greatly especially with Katies approach and experience. I found when carrying out DBR, that it tapped into my issues very effectively and the results over my sessions has been life changing. Moving forward I have found that I am better equipped for life problems, have addressed many under lying issues and long term problems. I have found that my time with Katie in therapy and by carrying out DBR, has improved my life, coping skills and closed off many underlying mental health concerns. Thank you Katie”
(With kind permission, S.R. 2023)
"I was amazed to find that a chronic itch I have had for almost four years lessened hugely and almost disappeared just a few days after a DBR session that focused on it. This was after numerous attempts to get rid of it with traditional methods/creams etc. The anxiety that went along with it has also reduced in intensity and I'm much more aware of the anxiety when it does arise."
(With kind permission, A.H. 2023)
"Having explored various talking therapies over the years to address and cope with c-PTSD, my search for alternative modalities led me to discover Katie. Initially sceptical, I decided to give DBR a try, and I'm grateful that I did.
DBR is incredibly different to any therapies i've tried before, but Katie guided me through the process with a thorough explanation and a gradual approach. The sessions have proven beneficial, allowing me to process complex emotions, recognise instances where my actions or feelings are influenced by a traumatised inner child, and break through feelings of being 'stuck.'
Katie creates a secure and nurturing environment for this transformative journey. Through our sessions, I've started to heal in certain areas and gained the ability to acknowledge that my adult self is safe, in control, and capable."
(With kind permission, P.M. 2024)
Extracts from a client testimonial:
When embarking on a course of treatments I would say, plan nothing else for the day after the initial 2 or 3 sessions.
I found I needed to sleep lots and to rest the body which was aching.
This all settled after a few sessions - you called it "finding your sea legs”.
I have felt safe during the procedure - your reassuring presence is there.
Your commentary during a procedure is very reassuring - eg "good work", “that’s a young pain” (age wise), “this shifting is what we want to see".
The entry into the issue of the day - the "opening of the file" - feels tricky for me : I always want to jump straight to feeling the strong emotion associated with an event.
The procedure however has a safety mechanism to prevent overwhelm, which is to notice the bodily sensations of shock, and to dwell in these first by way of “anchor”.
I’ve been a Vipassana meditator for many years and was disappointed that this practice had not prevented the crisis that led me to seek help.
I decided to redouble my efforts with meditation, and found when I got to a refresher meditation retreat, that long held tension in the belly (noted for many years) was almost completely absent.
I feel as though the DBR sessions helped my progress on the meditation path and this was a relief to notice, as meditation for me is life long and DBR treatment is time limited, but can of course be repeated as needed.
As a former medic with many questions as to how and why, I found I didn’t in the end need to understand everything for it to work, to give benefit.
Still, I found your active connection with your Psychiatrist colleague (Dr Frank Corrigan) who developed DBR, very reassuring.
I found your own questioning during history taking most perceptive and astute, getting quickly to the nub of the matter.
One amazing byproduct that I’ve experienced with DBR is that some bladder instability which I had put down to advancing years was suddenly healed after one of the sessions.
Marvellous!
I like the way we don’t need to talk over and recall upsetting events at length or repeatedly, but that they’re identified by proxy, through bodily sensations during a session, and healed.
Thank you (and to Dr Corrigan) for making this effective technique available to people seeking help in distress.
(With kind permission, M.K. 2024)
I just wanted to thank you for your help. I have found dbr to be really helpful, especially since I've tried cbt and emdr in the past and still always came back to the same triggers and symptoms.
(With kind permission, H.D. 2024)
"I underwent weekly DBR sessions with Katie for over 2 years ending in June this year. I wanted to leave a period of time after the last session before commenting on the experience.
I am in my 70s and for the past 15 years have been searching for a therapy that would help to free me from the thoughts and the resultant destructive patterns of behaviour that have been present since childhood.
I have developed a good understanding as to the causes that have shaped the way I have lived my adult life. That on its own was not enough. I am skilful at self sabotage, protecting and maintaining my mental status quo.. For me talking therapies became a circular process and I was unable to move forward.
Over time engaging with DBR has allowed me to experience my core pain . Discharging that pain has been slow, exhausting and distressing.
The sessions were managed and monitored by Katie, who created a safe space and ensured I wasn’t overwhelmed by the deep emotional distress I was experiencing. She observed and only intervened with support and guidance when necessary .
The positive outcomes of the DBR sessions with Katie have continued over the past 4 months since ending the sessions.
I (sic) way I view and live my life has and continues to change. My fear of people, levels of anxiety, feelings of poor self esteem, along with other negative beliefs and historical behaviours have lessoned.
I am better at differentiating between appropriate and historical responses.
For me these are huge changes. They are becoming ‘normalised’ into my everyday life, so much so that at times I don’t notice them. For the first time since my childhood I have a sense of belonging to myself and an internal harmony.
I am grateful to Martin Warner for introducing me to DBR and to Katie for her skilled and professional application of this life changing process."
(With kind permission, J.A. 2024)
With 25 years of clinical experience in psychology, with a background in nursing, working in a range of settings from Psychiatry, Student Counselling, Employee Assistance Programmes and Lecturing, I have the experience of working with individuals from across the lifespan, and from diverse cultural backgrounds who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and coping.
I offer trauma psychotherapy to both local and international clients. The type of trauma therapy I provide may be quite different if you have experienced talking therapy in the past. There are videos, websites, research, testimonials about Deep Brain Reorienting and the Comprehensive Resource Model on my Home page that can provide you with more information.
Professional Memberships:
Health Care and Professions Council. Practitioner Psychologist Membership no: PYL36131
British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Registered Membership no: 344416
Psychological Society of Ireland. Chartered Psychologist Membership no: M5529C
14760_psi_chartered_member_2024_logo_ol_file_1401.pdf
American Psychological Association. International Affiliate Membership no: 00976808
Professional Training:
I graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2001 and have been working in a range of settings including psychiatry, consultancy, student counselling services in education and lecturing over the past 20 years. Having relocated to Scotland, I offer a clinical private practice working with individual clients based in Edinburgh.
It has been my privilege to offer psychological assessment, interventions and counselling contracts to clients in my professional practice. Sometimes people are very aware why they are making an appointment e.g. feeling sad, anxious and depressed and sometimes there is a question in their mind that something is not going well in their lives, like relationships, and whatever the situation is, I can offer a warm and confidential service focusing on you as the client and what your individual needs are in the psychotherapy contract.
I also offer specialist consultancy services by arrangement. I am registered with the protection of vulnerable group scheme with Disclosure Scotland.I’ve been a Vipassana meditator for many years and was disappointed that this practice had not prevented the crisis that led me to seek help.
I decided to redouble my efforts with meditation, and found when I got to a refresher meditation retreat, that long held tension in the belly (noted for many years) was almost completely absent.
I feel as though the DBR sessions helped my progress on the meditation path and this was a relief to notice, as meditation for me is life long and DBR treatment is time limited, but can of course be repeated as needed."Katie helped me so much in reducing my anxiety before a medical procedure I was very scared about.
As a therapist myself with good experience of talking therapy, this different approach really worked well for me.
I highly recommend Katie with her skills and kindness." A O' T (2025)
“The act of revealing oneself fully to another and still being accepted may be the major vehicle of therapeutic help.” (Yalom)
This practice recognises and values the diversity of all people using the service and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, race, ethnicity and membership of the Traveller Community (PSI Guidelines for Good Practice with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Clients).
There are many reasons to organise an appointment and often the first step is the most challenging step to take. My experience has involved working with clients presenting with anxiety,depression, trauma, bullying, bereavement, distress and crisis presentations. There is no hard and fast rule so if you would like to organise an appointment, please contact Katie directly by phone or email and I will contact you within 24 hours during weekdays or the next working day after the weekend.
One frequently asked question is what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? The NHS provide a clear outline in this link: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-therapies/differences-between-psychology-psychiatry-and-psychotherapy
This practice recognises and values the diversity of all people using the service and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, race, ethnicity and membership of the Traveller Community (PSI Guidelines for Good Practice with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Clients).
There are many reasons to organise an appointment and often the first step is the most challenging step to take. My experience has involved working with clients presenting with anxiety,depression, trauma, bullying, bereavement, distress and crisis presentations. There is no hard and fast rule so if you would like to organise an appointment, please contact Katie directly by phone or email and I will contact you within 24 hours during weekdays or the next working day after the weekend.
One frequently asked question is what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? The NHS provide a clear outline in this link: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-therapies/differences-between-psychology-psychiatry-and-psychotherapy
My Biography:
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