Barbara King Dos Santos

Barbara King works integratively, meaning she draws from a range of therapeutic models and techniques to suit the individual needs of each client. Central to her approach is creating a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space where clients feel fully seen, heard, and accepted. Her aim in therapy is to offer a space where clients can speak openly and process painful thoughts, feelings, and experiences, as well as to embark on a deeply transformative journey of self-understanding in order to create change towards the life they truly want. Barbara collaborates with clients to increase self-awareness, build self-compassion, and reconnect with their own inner resources. She uses elements of CBT to examine thoughts, mindfulness to calm the nervous system, psychodynamic theory to explore how past experiences influence the present, and Gestalt techniques to help clients understand how they currently relate to their environment and themselves. Her approach is always guided by the unique circumstances and goals of each client.

Barbara’s professional background has always focused on supporting others, and this deeply informs her work as a therapist. Her experience in recruitment, student wellbeing, and as a support worker for vulnerable individuals has given her insight into the wide range of challenges people face. These roles strengthened her belief in each person’s capacity for growth and the importance of meeting clients with empathy, flexibility, and respect. She has a particular interest in working with anxiety, relationship issues, workplace challenges, cultural identity, and the inner self-critic.

Barbara is a trainee counsellor working within The Awareness Centre’s NHS counselling service. She is currently completing an MSc in Integrative Counselling and Coaching, and is already qualified with an MSc in Investigative Forensic Psychology and a BSc in Psychology. Barbara is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is working towards full qualification as an integrative counsellor.