Meet Kes

My Mini Bio:

I was first introduced to counselling and holistic therapy in my early twenties, through part-time adult learning courses. I initially qualified as a massage therapist in 2014. Later, after a few months in Palestine where I was a first-hand witness to colonial violence, I did some soul searching and decided I wanted to support people to have deeper, transformational conversations. My intention was to bring more healing and harmony to the world.  

As soon as I returned home, I began studying integrative counselling at university. Before continuing further training, I attended a long-term retreat at a Zen monastery. I then went on to train in psycho-spiritual counselling and eco-therapy, and I also became a mindfulness teacher and consultant.

I have been practising one-to-one therapy since my first counselling placements during training in 2017. Working with so many diverse and wonderful people has been transformational and eye-opening for me. Completing numerous hours of professional development, far beyond the minimum expectations set by the BACP, I developed a wide knowledge base of therapies, and it's my belief that the Person Centred way of working is one of the most radical, positively counter-cultural and humane, which is why I choose to work with this approach.

Some of the work that has been most challenging for me has been working with LGBTQ+ people online around the world. This experience deepens my humility in respect to the limitations and the gifts of Person Centred counselling for people whose identities are marginalised. Working with neurodivergent clients has been where I have grown the most as a therapist, learning to accommodate different needs, and this led me to my own late diagnoses, and growing my awareness in neuro-affirming therapy.

Working alongside big therapy partners, and small local projects, I opened my private practice in 2021. I moved very quickly into full time private practice working primarily with LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent people. I offer an inclusive sliding scale because I'm deeply familiar with the stresses and strains that finances can have on multiply-marginalised people. I recently trained as a supervisor and now supervise fellow therapists working in agencies and private practice, supporting good ethics and professional development. I also practise as a coach and group facilitator.

I work online via end-to-end encrypted video calls, as well as face-to-face in central Brighton, and I offer outdoor sessions on the Sussex Downs.

I generally don't talk about my own life in counselling sessions, however if there's anything from my lived experience that may support you, I happily give you the choice if you want to hear that. I'm not a blank slate because I believe that who we are to each other matters, and it's part of the therapy.

Oh, and I'd like to take this moment to share with you a quote from the On Being podcast host, Krista Tippett. I hope it's as inspiring for you as it is for me. She says: 

"...that matter of finding joy, and not treating joy as optional but understanding that joy is life-giving, it is resilience-making and it is our human birthright, and it must accompany if we are really to walk into this world ahead of us, and the vast challenges and the magnificent callings; we have to claim joy. We have to be whole, and we have to stay whole."

Some of the meaningful feedback that I've received:

"Therapy saved my life."

"Therapy has transformed my life."

"Transformational"

"Kesley is a wonderful healer and coach!"

"I felt accepted and safe."

"Kesley is a true 'Soul midwife.'"

"Your ability to attune to my inner process is a rare and precious gift."

"Sensitive and philosophical in-depth work."

"My whole life has changed."

"My relationship with myself is the best its ever been."

"An amazing therapist."

"Your way of working is delicate and precise."

"I will be grateful my whole life."

"Your gentle challenges have helped me learn about my growing edges and make changes when I needed to."