Karen Yuen, BACP

Karen Yuen is a BACP registered counsellor based in the United Kingdom with over eight years of professional experience across NHS Direct, community low-cost services and spiritual settings. She brings both clinical training and personal cultural insight to her work as a British East Asian woman of mixed heritage, recognising how cultural values and upbringing shape identity, relationships and mental wellbeing.

Karen creates a non-judgemental, empathetic space where people can explore difficult feelings and life challenges outside of their usual support networks. She uses compassion and curiosity to help clients examine how family dynamics, early care, upbringing and past experiences influence current beliefs, behaviours and patterns of thinking, supporting greater clarity and emotional processing.

Trained in an integrative way, Karen draws on client-centered principles alongside EMDR and trauma-focused ideas, adapting methods to each person’s needs. Her practice emphasises trauma-informed, compassionate inquiry, intuition and genuineness, and she will introduce practical tools when appropriate - for example mindfulness, body awareness, breathing exercises, role play and visualisation.

Karen holds a BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Therapeutic Studies (2:1) from Leeds Metropolitan University (2005), a PGCert in Daily Living and Wellbeing (Merit) from Sheffield Hallam University (2023), and a range of CPD certificates including Advanced Certificate in Counselling Psychology and EMDR training. She is a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - the BACP - and works with adults aged 18 and over on either short-term or long-term goals. Karen welcomes inquiries and is available to discuss potential therapy arrangements.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Karen works integratively and commonly uses client-centered therapy and EMDR as core parts of her online practice. Client-centered therapy focuses on creating an empathetic, non-judgemental environment where the client’s experience leads the work - it helps with stress, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties and life transitions by promoting self-understanding and personal growth. EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing - is a structured approach that supports people to process distressing memories and trauma symptoms, helping reduce the emotional charge of past events and improve day-to-day functioning.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Karen collaborates with each person to identify which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences, adjusting the plan over time so therapy remains relevant and supportive. This collaborative process includes discussing options, trying techniques and checking in about progress.

Online therapy with Karen is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to provide flexibility and accessibility. These options make it easier to fit sessions around work, family and other commitments, while allowing registered professionals to deliver consistent, ongoing support regardless of geographical constraints.