- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Relationship work
About Carlie
Carlie Machell-Kay is a psychodynamic counsellor (NCPS) with seven years since qualifying as a therapist. She supports people with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, parenting and ADHD among other issues. Carlie has a long history of working in women's mental wellbeing and domestic abuse settings, and she accepts international clients.
Carlie uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how early relationships shape current thoughts and feelings. She also draws on client-centred and narrative approaches to help people tell and reframe the story of their experiences. When trauma is involved she works with trauma-focused methods to address its ongoing effects.
Her background includes many years in services that support survivors of domestic abuse. That work means she is used to helping people manage strong emotions, safety concerns and practical fallout from abusive relationships. She also notes personal experience of neurodiversity and brain injury, which informs how she listens and responds.
Sessions are conversational and aim to make space for understanding patterns and making changes that fit each person’s life. Carlie pays attention to how past events influence present reactions, and she helps people identify alternatives to repeated habits and responses.
People come to Carlie for a mix of short-term coaching work and longer-term therapy depending on their goals. She offers practical help with coping strategies alongside deeper reflection on attachment and past experience. For anyone dealing with life changes, grief, addiction or intimacy concerns she provides steady therapeutic input grounded in psychological theory.
How her approaches are used in online sessions
Psychodynamic work explores how past relationships shape present feelings and behaviours. Online sessions use this approach to notice repeating patterns, links to childhood experiences and how those patterns turn up in daily life. It is useful for people wanting to understand why they react in certain ways and to reduce repeating cycles.Client-centred therapy focuses on the person’s experience in the moment. The counsellor listens without directing the narrative and helps the client identify what matters most to them. This approach can help with self-esteem, stress and relationship choices by making personal values clearer.
Finding the right way of working is part of the process and the therapist will help decide what fits best. She will discuss goals, preferences and practicalities and adapt sessions as those needs become clearer. That collaboration helps shape whether a shorter coaching style or longer psychodynamic work is used.
Session formats are not listed in the profile, so please confirm current options before booking. In general, online sessions can make therapy easier to fit around studies, work or caring responsibilities and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also help people who prefer not to travel for appointments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Covers stress, anxiety, relationship and family issues, trauma and abuse, parenting, addictions, grief, intimacy concerns, anger, self-esteem and depression. Additional focus areas include ADHD, attachment and adoption related matters.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She primarily works from a psychodynamic perspective and also uses client-centred and narrative approaches. Sessions are conversational and look at how past relationships affect current feelings and behaviour.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She qualified as a therapist seven years ago and has worked in related services for over 25 years, including extensive experience in women's mental wellbeing and domestic abuse settings.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is listed with NCPS and practises from the United Kingdom. NCPS is the credential recorded in her profile.
Can she work with people who live outside the UK?
Sessions are offered to international clients and are conducted in English.
Which session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking as formats are not specified in the profile. Please check the booking details to see what is offered.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and then schedule your first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.