Could I be your trauma therapist?
I’m Kirsty Betts, a trauma therapist who specialises in helping people who’ve experienced traumatic or difficult relationships with parents, peers and romantic partners. I have a special interest in supporting people who had a difficult early romantic or sexual experiences in their teens and early twenties. I support people who seem to ‘have it together’ on the outside, but feel like they’re bottling up their struggles.
If you deal with the lasting impact of trauma by trying to squash down emotions, overthink everything, perfectionism, people pleasing and struggling to feel close. I’m here to help you heal from the past and find better ways to cope, have more balanced ways of reacting in and move on from old survival patterns. Our ultimate goal is to find the kind of deep healing that allows you to flourish at work, find joy in everyday life and make deeper connections in friendships and relationships.
As someone with experience of the lasting impact of trauma myself, and who has spent my entire career working with people who’ve been through traumatic experiences, I get it. Telling your story for the 100th time can feel embarrassing and overwhelming. I know how hard it can be to find what helps. Therapy needs to move at your pace and go beyond just ‘logically’ make sense of things. You need something different, change in a ‘feel it in your bones’ kind of way.
It’s my life’s mission to find the right blend of therapy so that you can thrive and not just work hard to get by. Over the last 10 years I’ve trained and gained experience using some the best trauma focused therapy; both as a therapist and a client.
This has allowed to develop a unique blend of Compassion Focused-EMDR and Compassion Focused-CBT specifically designed to be sensitive to the shame that comes along with trauma and supports healing on a deeper level whether through intensive therapy packages or longer-term therapy for CPTSD.
As a therapist I bring bags of my own personality and humour, because connecting on a human level is where the magic happens. But I’ll also ensure you get the knowledge and tools to understand what’s happening inside you, and why what we do in therapy makes sense. We will find your unique path to recovery, addressing your individual goals and needs. We don’t use a cookie cutter treatment plan but work together to understand what makes you tick. You are unique and your treatment should be too. We will go beyond just working with specific trauma memories; you can expect a holistic package with mindfulness, breathwork, visualisation, parts work, chairwork and body-based practices.
I stand against the idea that trauma makes you broken or that healing requires you to retell the worst things that have ever happened to you. I’m here to offer a shame‑sensitive, deeply human approach to recovery, and if that resonates, you’re exactly where you need to be.
A little more about me
I live in South Manchester with my partner. I can often be found pottering in the garden, curled up with a good book, creating weird art, going to local gigs or exercising in my low-fi garage gym (lovingly named the muscle lodge).
I’m a self-confessed nerd, my personal motto is “learning is fun!” I love to read about different approaches to psychotherapy and am particularly fascinated by neuroscience and mindfulness.
In my teens and twenties I experienced challenging circumstances and had some mental health struggles. These experiences are what led me to working in the caring field and to train as a psychotherapist. I strive to be the supportive person I would have wanted when I was going through hard times.
Having experienced therapy services both as a client and as a professional, I understand that starting therapy can feel a bit intimidating and you may not know where to start. That’s why the first few sessions are about getting to know each other a little better and taking the time to really understand the focus of the therapy. I also realise that at times therapy can feel heavy or overwhelming. So we will work together as a team to ensure that the pace feels right; feeling safe and cared for is the most important part of our relationship. But there will also be times when we may decide to push our comfort zone a little, it’s in these moments I often find people make the most progress.
I believe that every person is far more than a diagnosis or label. My approach centers on seeing and understanding each client as a unique individual with their own story. I work in an integrative and flexible way, tailoring my approach to meet the needs of each client. My own life experience has deeply informed my practice, giving me a compassionate perspective that goes beyond books smarts; I bring a lot of my own 'street smarts' too. I'm the sort of therapist that you can have a laugh with and can swear and be real around. Clients tell me that they like that I'm creative, a bit clumsy and how I love to use weird metaphors or draw out diargrams and doodle together.
My long-term goal is to share my knowledge and skills more widely to ensure that people have access to support through free and low-cost resources. Consider following me on social media where I share information and tips about mental health and general well-being.
To learn more about my therapy approach please read my blogs about CBT, CFT and EMDR (coming soon).
Experience
My career working in the caring field began in 2008, working with vulnerable individuals and groups who experienced a wide range of behavioral challenges. It quickly became evident to me that these "problems" often stemmed from early life adversity, attachment wounds, and unresolved trauma. Witnessing how these factors can impact on people's lives inspired me to retrain in mental heath and psychotherapy in 2012, with the goal of helping people heal not just their behaviors but the deeper roots of their pain.
My career journey has taken me through roles within local authorities, charities, and the NHS IAPT service (VCSO provider). In 2020, I took the leap to establish my own independent therapy practice, starting part-time and now proudly running a full-time service.
Qualifications
Over the years, I have completed two postgraduate-level diplomas: one in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (accredited) and another in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, I have expanded my expertise with training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based approaches.
I completed my CBT training at the prestigious Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Centre for CBT. My training was validated by the University of Manchester.
I have had the priviledge and honour to undertake the full CFT Diploma direclty with Paul Gilbert, the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy and the Compassionate Mind Foundation. He's my hero (seriously, I have a mug with his face on and everything).
As an accredited member of the BABCP I undertake regular supervision and continued professional development. This ensures that the therapy you receive is continually reviewed to ensure standards of excellence.
