About Me

I am a fully qualified and accredited Systemic Family and Couple Psychotherapist (MA) with 25 years’ clinical experience working therapeutically with individuals, couples and families, of all ages, both within the NHS, and via my own independent practice. As a specialist relationship therapist I support those facing challenges in couple or family relationships. These may include issues related to managing communication and conflict, sex and intimacy, parenting and life transitions, recovery from domestic abuse, trauma or infidelity, or divorce, estrangement, separation or bereavement. I also support those wishing to develop a deeper sense of relational connection, intimacy and closeness with the important people in their lives.

Keen to embrace gender, sexuality & relationship diversity, I work with couples and families of all kinds. My practice is strengths and resilience orientated, collaborative, and underpinned by the latest evidence based principles.

Fully insured to provide a worldwide online service offering Individual, Couple, Parenting and Family Therapy, as well as Mediation, Consultancy, Coaching and Clinical Supervision.

Alongside my independent practice, as UKCP Media Spokesperson, I'm regularly invited to contribute to the national and international media, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, verywellmind.com, Apple News, iPaper & Metro, etc, and use this as a forum to promote healthy relationships, provide specialist advice, and increase access to appropriate support for those affected by a range of relationship problems.

I am involved in a number of not for profit initiatives aimed at actively ensuring that those most in need, and most vulnerable, have increased access to specialist evidence-based support & therapy, can feel safe & free from harm, & have access to justice (see below for further details).

Practicalities:

- Regular appointments Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays predominantly during the day, and ad hoc appointments Friday mornings.
- Waiting time to start therapy varies approx 4-8 weeks
- Online appointments only

I understand how hard it can be to find the right type of therapy, and therapist for you. I therefore include responses to Frequently Asked Questions, plus a link to information about Systemic Psychotherapy and Client Reviews below.

How to book an appointment:

Contact us via oxfordfamilytherapy@gmail.com, ideally providing a few details about what brings you to therapy, and what type of therapy you are seeking (eg individual, couple family etc). If you are hoping for couple or family therapy, it can be helpful to get a sense of who you would like to join the therapy with you, and your availability, so we can ensure to find a suitable appointment schedule that will work for all involved. We will then get back to you regarding recommendations about starting therapy and a timeframe for this.

Referrals also accepted via Social Care and Family Law services.  Professionals can connect with me via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-cavallo-3250342a8/

Qualifications/Training:

- MA Systemic Family Psychotherapy, Tavistock and Portman Clinic, London
- Treating Couples: Surmounting Challenges, Harvard Medical School
- Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) Levels 1 & 2 with the British Emotion Focused Therapy Centre & George Faller
- PGD Systemic Family Practice (Eating Disorders), Reading University
- PGC Applied Systemic Theory, Tavistock and Portman Clinic, London
- PGC Teaching and Assessment, Oxford Brookes University
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children and Young People, Oxford Cognitive
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – Enhanced (Eating Disorders), Prof Fairburn
- Dialogical Behavioural Therapy, Oxford Health DBT Service
- Multifamily Therapy for Eating Disorders, Maudsley Hospital, London
- Psychological Perspectives in Education and Primary Care (PPEPC) Reading University

Background:

Within the NHS, my experience spans a variety of contexts including Community and Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Specialist Eating Disorder Services. Alongside a clinical role, I have been involved in service development and leadership, as well as providing training, clinical supervision and consultation to allied professionals and agencies. As a Specialist Clinical Lecturer I designed and delivered teaching for postgraduate students from a range of professional backgrounds.

As an independent psychotherapist, I worked with the Oxford Priory Wellbeing Centre before founding Oxford Family Therapy (OFT). In 2020 Oxford Family Therapy extended its services to include a range of online options enabling clients to connect with each other and access therapy remotely, across the UK and globally.

I am an active member of the Association of Family Therapy Independent Practitioners Network: Aspens, and their Couple Therapy Forum. As a member of the AFT Court Related Work Group, I undertake court ordered therapy and accept freelance work via social care services.

Alongside my independent practice with Oxford Family Therapy, I am involved in various not not for profit initiatives aimed at actively ensuring that those most in need, and most vulnerable, have increased access to specialist evidence-based support & therapy, can feel safe & free from harm, & have access to justice.

These include:
- providing clinical supervision and training on a voluntary basis to trainees and volunteers working for the domestic abuse charity Clean Slate: www.cleanslate.org.uk.
- providing subsided services funded by statutory service, ie directed by Social Care services due to child protection concerns.
- providing a regular percentage of my income, and acting as a Guardian, to the charity Support Through Court, who support those navigating the court system without any legal representation; often those affected by domestic &/or economic abuse. https://supportthroughcourt.org/current-guardians/

Professional Accreditations:

United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)
Association of Family Therapy (AFT)
International Centre for Excellence in Emotion Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)

Comprehensive insurance held with Balens Specialist Professional Insurers to offer online therapy worldwide.

Client reviews: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/katherine-cavallo&ved=2ahUKEwjC58fznYGJAxUsREEAHWb8PLMQFnoECBcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0WBvJCfvnlMbidLAsZwLeA

Frequently Asked Questions:

How many sessions will I need?

This depends on the type of therapy, what brings you to therapy, and what you are hoping to gain from the experience. My focus would be to help you to achieve your therapy goals and work together towards these strategically. With individual or couple therapy, we may agree a set number of sessions, then review. If you wish to continue thereafter, we may repeat the same or a similar set of appointments, or we may continue fortnightly until reaching an end point in therapy collaboratively. With family therapy & mediation, the duration of therapy varies considerably. In some instances you may find a handful of appointments makes all the difference, and is all you need, whereas others benefit from something more longer term.

How often would sessions take place?

In general appointments are offered fortnightly/bi-weekly. I support clients to use the space in between therapy appointments as opportunities to reflect on and integrate the therapy “work” into their everyday lives and relationships outside therapy, in order to gain optimally from the overall process. From my experience, meeting fortnightly/biweekly, enables this most effectively.

Do you offer face to face appointments?

No, offer online appointments only, via Google Meet.

Where can I join online therapy from?

It is important you are somewhere comfortable, quiet and safe, where you will not be overheard or interrupted. You will need good access to wifi and your devices charged.

For Couple or Family Therapy, do we need to be in the same place to attend therapy?

No, one advantage of online Couple and Family Therapy is being able to support Couples and Family members to join therapy from different locations or even different parts of the world. Similarly, some clients find it convenient to attend therapy from a private location away from home, such as at work, for example. However, as much as this approach can be both practical and convenient, unless there are reasons why joining together for therapy is not possible, in most instances, I would recommend joining therapy from the same location, if at all possible.

When do you offer appointments?

Regular appointments are available Tuesdays to Thursday, predominantly during the day, plus ad hoc appointments Friday mornings.

How long are appointments?

Individual therapy appointments are 50 minutes.
Couple and Family Therapy appointments are usually 60 minutes.

Would we meet at the same time each week?

Yes, I recommend regular appointments to help create a rhythm, momentum and structure to therapy.

Do you have a waiting time to start therapy?

Usually there is a wait to start therapy of up to 2 months. As I offer both short and longer term therapy, waiting times can vary and spaces can become available more quickly, although this cannot be guaranteed. Having a clear sense of your availability will help me to prioritise you for a suitable appointment time once this becomes available - the more flexibility you have, the sooner this is likely to be… Once you have had an initial appointment, my aim would be to offer ongoing therapy appointments without any subsequent delay.

I’m not sure if I need Individual or Couple Therapy, what would you recommend?

I suggest organising an initial individual appointment to establish the best course of action. If we decide together that you would benefit most from couple therapy, I would be happy to arrange to meet with your partner for a similar individual appointment and should you both agree, we would then continue with couple therapy. Alternatively, you may prefer to continue with individual therapy. In some situations having individual and couple therapy simultaneously can complement the overall process, so long as there is a clear and separate remit for both. I would not be able to offer both individual and couple therapy simultaneously. However, I would be happy for your partner to join your individual therapy on an ad hoc basis, or to offer ad hoc individual sessions to members of a couple attending couple therapy, if this would be beneficial.

What does Family Therapy and Mediation involve?

This depends on your situation, who is hoping to join therapy, and what you hope to gain from therapy. In most situations, I would meet with different members of the family, or subsystems within the family, separately prior to joining together, as part of an assessment, and to establish the most suitable course of action. I may meet with family members in different combinations throughout therapy.

Do you work with children and teenagers?

I am qualified to work with children, young people and adults of all ages. When working with younger children, my emphasis would be on supporting parents as they are best placed to support their child. The therapy therefore would often be directly with parents to indirectly help the child. With teenagers, depending on their age, I would require parent/s or carer/s to have some degree of involvement in the therapy. This may include joining part of an assessment and review appointment, for example. It would be important for you to be aware when appointments were taking place, and be available or on hand should you be needed during or after the appointment, whilst providing a private space for your child to connect with me online. In some situations I would recommend an extended assessment in which I would be able to meet with you both whilst also providing some individual time for your child/teen, should they wish for this, and parent/s, prior to joining together to formulate a therapy plan. If you are a parent or carer, concerned about your child or teen, I would suggest getting in touch to establish whether it would be suitable for us to work together, prior to booking an appointment for me to meet with your child or teen. In some instances, face to face therapy may work best, and I would be happy to make recommendations accordingly should this be the case.

I’m not sure what I’m looking for fits with “Couple” or “Family Therapy?”

As a specialist relationship therapist I use the terms “couple” and “family” broadly. We all know there is no “normal” couple or family. When it comes to Couple Therapy I am open to the ideas of gender, sexuality & relationship diversity. Equally families come in all shapes and sizes, and I use the word loosely to include extended family and kinship, blended families and close friendships. My aim is to support clients in their relationships with the important people in their lives…

Does Systemic Psychotherapy always work?

Systemic Psychotherapy is an evidence based approach recommended to support people experiencing a broad range of psychological and relational issues. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which informs which treatments the NHS provides, recommends Systemic Psychotherapy for a range of different psychological problems in children, adolescents and adults, across the age spectrum. Further detail available below under “further resources.” However, we all know that relationships are complex. Systemic Psychotherapy is not an exact science. Therefore the techniques and approaches I choose to use, are based on an individualised approach, informed further by additional training, and my extensive clinical experience. In some instances opening up about things with those we are closest to can make things feel like they are getting a bit worse before they get better. I use an ethical approach to support clients navigate a way forwards, with safeguarding integral to my approach. Sometimes it can be helpful to explore the past together. Sometimes this can feel very difficult, and the focus will be on working towards finding ways to rebuild relationships in the here and now, and finding a place that is “good enough.” Sometimes moving from estrangement to having limited direct contact can feel like a positive outcome for Family Therapy.

We are thinking of splitting up, is Couple Therapy for us?

When it comes to Couple therapy most couples are seeking to improve their relationship, but in some situations either or both have come to the realisation that the relationship is coming to an end, and may be struggling to find a way to have the most difficult conversations to find a way forward. In such situations, the role of couple therapy may be a way to ensure, as much as possible, couples feel they have done their best to resolve things. Should the relationship come to an end, the most positive outcome of couple therapy, in this scenario, may be to aim to find a way to end the relationship kindly, and if the couple have children, to help the couple support their children through the process of separation.

How does your independent practice support your commitment to increasing access to specialist support for those most in need?

Working with Oxford Family Therapy enables me to continue to develop not for profit initiatives, in which I provide my services on a voluntary or subsidised basis, and through direct charitable contributions, that support our commitment:

To actively ensure that those most in need, and most vulnerable, have increased access to specialist evidence-based support & therapy, can feel safe & free from harm, & have access to justice.

Currently these initiatives include:
Providing clinical supervision and training, on a voluntary basis, to volunteers and trainees working for Clean Slate, a local charity supporting men and women escaping domestic abuse. www.cleanslate.org.uk
Providing subsided family therapy funded by statutory service, ie directed by Social Care services due to child protection concerns.
A regular percentage of my income goes directly to Support Through Court, a charity that supports those navigating the court system, as litigants in person, without any legal representation. This experience can be, not only challenging but re-traumatising, and most likely affects those who are already marginalised and vulnerable, often who have experienced domestic and/or economic abuse. I am named on as a charity Guardian here: https://supportthroughcourt.org/current-guardians/
As UKCP Media Spokesperson, I am regularly invited to contribute to the national and international media, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The iPaper, Apple News, verywellmind.com & Metro, which I do so on a voluntary basis. I use this as an avenue to promote healthy relationships, plus raise public awareness of & increase access to appropriate support for those affected by relational toxicity and domestic abuse.

How are payments made?

Payments are to be made online on the day of each appointment via online transfer, card payment, Paypal or Apple Pay. Information regarding making payment will be provided with the initial appointment booking and also in the email link for each appointment.

I would like to learn more about Systemic Psychotherapy, what further resources would you recommend?

The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) & the Association of Family Therapy have some helpful information and guidance available here:
https://www.aft.org.uk/page/whatisfamilytherapy
https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/about-ukcp/how-we-are-structured/ukcp-colleges/college-of-family-couple-and-systemic-psychotherapy-cfcsp/

I work with

• Children and young people
• Companies
• Couples
• Families
• Groups
• Individuals
• Private healthcare referrals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Family and Systemic Psychotherapist
• Family Therapist
• Systemic Family and Couple Psychotherapist
• Systemic Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• ADHD
• Adoption
• Age-related Issues
• Anger Management
• Anorexia
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Bereavement
• Bullying
• Chronic Illness
• Couple Issues
• Depression
• Disability
• Divorce
• Domestic Violence
• Eating Disorders
• Employment Difficulties
• Family
• Gender
• Health-related Issues
• Identity Problems
• Infertility
• Mental Health Issues
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Online Counselling
• Parents
• Phobias
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Relationships
• Separation
• Sex Problems
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality
• Step Families
• Stress
• Telephone Counselling
• Terminal Illness
• Transgender
• Trauma