Counsellor profile
Carlie Machell-Kay, NCPS
Psychodynamic counsellor - family and parenting support
Continue with CarlieAbout
- Trauma and abuse
- Relationship difficulties
- Parenting strain
About Carlie
Carlie Machell-Kay is a psychodynamic counsellor registered with NCPS and has practised as a therapist for seven years. She helps people with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, parenting strain, addiction, grief, intimacy issues, anger, low self-esteem and depression.
Carlie uses psychodynamic work to look at how past relationships shape present feelings and behaviour. She links current difficulties with earlier experiences so patterns become clearer. That can help when relationships, parenting or family roles feel stuck.
Alongside psychodynamic methods she draws on client-centred and narrative approaches. Those approaches mean she listens to what matters most to the person and helps them tell and reframe their story. Trauma-focused ideas are used when past harms still affect daily life.
Her background includes work in women's mental wellbeing and extensive experience in domestic abuse settings. She also has personal experience of neurodiversity and brain injury, which she says informs how she understands the practical and emotional effects on individuals and families.
Carlie aims to be approachable and to shape sessions around what a person needs. Her practice covers a wide range of family and parenting matters, and she accepts international clients who wish to work in English.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online sessions
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting back what matters to the person, helping them clarify feelings and priorities. It suits people who want a practical, supportive space to talk through parenting pressures or family tensions.Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from problems by examining the stories they tell about their lives. This can help with relationship patterns, identity concerns and coping after loss or trauma.
Psychodynamic work looks at how past relationships shape current behaviour and emotional responses. It is often used when repetitive patterns, attachment issues or the lingering effects of trauma are present.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Carlie will collaborate with the person to decide what fits their goals, needs and preferences. That decision can change as therapy progresses.
Confirm the session formats offered before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people take part from different locations and may help manage energy when coping with caregiving, chronic illness or neurodiversity.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family issues, trauma and abuse, parenting, addictions, grief, intimacy, anger, self-esteem and depression.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses psychodynamic counselling alongside client-centred and narrative approaches, adapting the way she works to the person's needs and story.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Carlie has seven years' experience as a qualified therapist and over 25 years' work history in related fields prior to qualifying.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She holds NCPS and is based in the United Kingdom.
Can I work with her in a language other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she accept clients from other countries?
She accepts international clients who wish to work in English.
How are sessions charged?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.