What is it that you need right now?
It isn’t always easy to ask for help, but the support of a therapist can unlock new possibilities. If now feels like the right moment for you to take that leap, then I honour your courage, and I welcome you to get in touch. Let’s see if I may be the right person to support you.
Therapy with Katrina Zaat
My approach
Personal fit is important in therapy, and there is nothing like a real conversation to get a sense of this. I offer a free 20-minute discovery call to answer any questions you may have, and I make the first full session obligation-free by offering a refund if for any reason we find that we are not a match.
My initial priority will be to help you stabilise, if you are in acute difficulty. I find it takes a few sessions to work out together the scope of the problem you want to address, and how we might go about it.
As the work deepens, we will aim to move beyond mere coping toward a greater sense of purpose and fulfilment. We will direct our attention to the experience you are living through, rather than the abstracted situation. We will become curious together about what it might look like to shape your life in the direction of your goals and dreams, and what resources may be available, within you and around you, to help you get there.
What I can help with
I can support a wide range of challenges, but I am particularly interested in the following:
Anxiety and depression
There is no quick fix for these complex conditions, and it would be naive to claim there was. But many sufferers understandably get fed up with the emotional status quo. If you are ready to try a new approach – with someone who will be realistic and compassionate about your struggle – let’s see what we can do together.
I will stay alongside you, and offer a combined strategy of support. On one hand, small habit changes and life experiments may help make the day-to-day easier; on the other, we might start gently investigating possible root causes, and offer a listening ear to those parts of you that may have been suffering in silence a long time.
ADHD and autism
I have an ADHD diagnosis, and I know living with a different kind of brain can be challenging in a neurotypical world. Day-to-day tasks can feel like mountains to climb; identity and self-worth may go through the wringer. Everyone’s experience of neurodiversity is different, and I am interested in yours. If you are diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or AuDHD – or if you have read about these conditions and find the descriptions resonant – I would be glad to help you find your own path to thriving.
Over- and under-achievement
As polarised as they might appear, I consider these two situations to be two sides of the same developmental coin. If it happened early in life that your sense of self got very bound up with external success and failure, or if you only felt safe when you were visibly perfect or perfectly invisible, the consequences may have lasted long. You may have been led, in adulthood, either to compulsive, exhausting over-achievement, or to frustration and overwhelm that made every new effort feel daunting.
Either situation can leave you feeling disconnected, lonely, and ashamed – like everyone else got the instruction manual, and you didn’t. But this experience is more common than people might think, and you do not have to face it alone.
Anger
Anger is a rather neglected emotion in our society! Many of us resort to stuffing it down until it makes us unwell, or comes out sideways as stewing or raging. It is possible to feel and express anger to the right degree, and in the right place and time, but not everyone is taught this skill. And there is such a taboo around getting this emotion “wrong” as an adult, it can be daunting even to try to connect with it.
I am very interested in anger. I welcome it into the work, even when it shows up imperfectly. I offer a judgement-free space in which to meet your anger. Whether it feels like “too much” or “too little”, this is something we can explore together.
Attachment and relationship issues
Humans are relational beings, and much of life happens in connection with others. Current findings are that about half of adults have a “secure” attachment style – which suggests a lot of people struggle to maintain fulfilling relationships with partners, friends, colleagues, or family. Difficulties may show up as frequent conflict, misunderstandings, or feeling undervalued.
You may have struggled to work out what your own ideal of intimacy looks like. My therapy space is queer- and kink-friendly, and I recognise that closeness means different things to different people. Family dynamics are a particular interest of mine, including sibling relationships, stepfamilies and blended families, and intergenerational trauma.
Thriving after a difficult childhood
Early wounds can linger – not just in our emotional patterning and general outlook on life, but also in surprisingly practical ways. Difficulties in early life can leave us struggling, even as competent adults, to form good habits, maintain close relationships, or even know who we really are.
It can feel complicated to confront difficulties from childhood if we fear it means “playing the blame game” or “being a victim”. To my mind, working on your early challenges so that you can flourish in the present is quite the opposite. The healing you do for yourself is rarely only for you. A confident, joyful, peaceful person also has more to give the world.
Training and background
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling from the Psychosynthesis Trust.
My BA and MA are in English literature. I have previously worked as an academic editor, and have tutored on undergraduate courses at the Universities of Sydney and Cambridge. I grew up in Australia, and lived in Italy and France for a time before settling in the UK.
Contact:
If you would like to book a free 20-minute discovery call, or if you have any questions about my practice, I invite you to get in touch.
Rates:
My rate is £95 per hour.
I also keep a limited number of low-cost slots, with a waiting list. I welcome enquiries about these.
Sessions:
Psychotherapy sessions at City Therapy Space:
Thursday
