Mrs Kate Busaka

Registered Counselor

verified by TherapyRoute

“I work psychodynamically and take a person-centred approach to the process of therapy, working with each client as an individual. Counselling supports you to be the author of your own life story – giving you a safe space to be heard and the courage to live life on your terms.”

About Me

Being in therapy takes courage. I have great admiration for anyone who wants to do this work on themselves, and I understand that even getting to this stage may have felt fairly anxiety-provoking. I am a psychodynamic psychotherapeutic counsellor with an interest in how our early relationships and unconscious processes shape the way we experience ourselves and others. I offer a space to explore whatever brings you—whether that’s something clearly defined or a more subtle sense that something doesn’t feel quite right. I work in a person-centred way, meaning our sessions are shaped around you as an individual. Where helpful, I may also incorporate elements of mindfulness and body awareness.

Approach

Let me share with you a little bit about how I work. I am a psychodynamic psychotherapeutic counsellor. This means that I hold value in understanding what happens in our unconscious world, in early relational dynamics, and in intrapsychic dynamics. I believe, for example, that our relationships with our primary caregivers have a profound impact on our future relationships and, more importantly, on the relationship we have with ourselves. In life, events and relationships impact us in various ways. For some, the cause of trauma may seem immediately identifiable, while for others it may take time to recognise. However, the impact of trauma is often devastating. Yet this is not the only reason to be curious about our lives through the process of therapy, as for many people, there is an inexplicable sense of things being incomplete or not good enough. Whatever your reason for choosing to embark on this personal work, the process can be transformational. Talking about these issues and bringing awareness and insight to some of our difficulties can be like turning on a light in a darkened room; we can begin to see things more clearly, and perhaps we may also start to do things differently. Therapy gives us a deeper understanding of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and, in doing so, things stop simply happening to us: it gives us the opportunity to be the author of our own story. I work in a person-centred way, which means that I endeavour to treat you as an individual, and it is you who will influence how we work together. If, during our sessions together, we feel you may benefit from mindfulness and body-awareness techniques, I can also incorporate these ideas. I follow the BACPs guidelines and code of ethics. Whoever you decide to embark on this transformative journey with, I wish you all the best - Communicate courageously.

Contact Kate

Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.

Basic Information

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Nairobi, Kenya

Services

I work online with Google Meet, which has enabled me to work with clients from around the world and to share the often life-changing impact of therapy with more people. For you, the opportunity to connect with the therapeutic process from the comfort of your own home, or in a safe space of your choosing, can also help to reduce anxiety and make therapy a more accessible and viable option. Please email katebusakaconnect@gmail.com or use the online booking form. Relationship and attachment issues - 'We are never so defenceless against suffering as when we love.' Sigmund Freud. Relationships bring out the best and the worst in all of us. Working on ourselves can support us to understand more fully our choices of partner and our modes of attachment. There are many different challenges that can arise is finding a partner and understanding how we relate to others. Therapy can support us to navigate this process, to avoid the repetition of unhealthy patterns of relating and to develop within us a strong and stable base from which to begin relating to others in more healthy ways. Trauma and Bereavement - 'It takes enormous trust and courage to allow yourself to remember'. Bessel van der Kolk Trauma and bereavement can affect us profoundly, often causing us to respond to life as if it were still present even when it has long past. The process of working through grief or through the echos of trauma takes patience. Therapy can support us to be curious about how we carry trauma, physically, emotionally and mentally. Through this knowing, we do not undo the past but with courage we may be able to rebuild our relationship to it so that the here and now can be more fully embraced. Overwhelm, Anxiety, and Depression - 'The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.' Carl Jung Now more that ever, many of us are feeling enormous pressure to achieve. This 'need' to achieve can leave us feeling overwhelmed and suffocated. Physical, mental and emotional manifestation of anxiety, overwhelm or depression can be debilitating. Personal development work can support us to disentangle and our desire and creativity from external and internalised pressures so that we can be kinder to ourselves and learn how to live a more satisfying life. 'False Self', Masking & Performance Arts - 'Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.' Donald Winnicott In many ways the world teaches us which parts of us are loveable, good enough, and deserving of praise. Particularly present for people in the performing arts, and for those of us who enmesh their sense of identity with their social status, profession or position, learning to accept one's complete self can be a daunting prospect. Therapy can support us to explore ourselves in our wholeness to discover and reveal the parts of us we have unconsciously hidden and to encourage us to enliven a sense of self satisfaction without the need for external recognition. Childhood Relationships - 'We do as we have been done by'. John Bowlby Our earliest relationships are some of the most impactful in our lives. How we to relate to ourselves and others through our conscious and unconscious learning in those relationships can leave a lasting legacy. Therapy can support us to reframe and reintegrate these experiences to heal, and ultimately to be a good parent to our inner child.

Services Offered:

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Personal Development
The ongoing process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and reaching one's potential, pursued not because something is wrong but to live more fully.
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Individual Therapy
One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.
Learn more about Individual Therapy
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Online Therapy
Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.
Learn more about Online Therapy
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Skills Training
Structured programmes that teach practical coping and life skills, such as emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
Learn more about Skills Training

Works With:

•Adolescents
•Adults
•Individuals
•Organisations

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

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Abuse
Emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment by another person that causes lasting psychological harm and disrupts a person's sense of safety.
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Anxiety
Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.
Learn more about Anxiety
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Relationship Issues
Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.
Learn more about Relationship Issues
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Personal Development
The ongoing process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and reaching one's potential, pursued not because something is wrong but to live more fully.
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Relocation / Expat
The psychological challenges of moving to a new country or city, including loneliness, culture shock, identity shifts, and loss of social support.
Learn more about Relocation / Expat
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Identity Issues
A person's sense of who they are, including their values, beliefs, roles, and self-perception, and the distress that arises when this sense is unclear, fragmented, or negative.
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Online Therapy
Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.
Learn more about Online Therapy
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Self-Esteem
A person's overall sense of their own worth and value. When chronically low, it can drive self-doubt, avoidance, and difficulty in relationships.
Learn more about Self-Esteem
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Grief, Loss & Bereavement
The emotional, physical, and psychological response to the death of a loved one or another significant loss, varying widely in duration and expression.
Learn more about Grief, Loss & Bereavement
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Stress / Burnout
The body and mind's response to prolonged or excessive demands. When sustained, it can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced functioning (burnout).
Learn more about Stress / Burnout