About me

Rae Yates – LGBTQ+ Person-Centred Counsellor, Supervisor and mental health Trainer in Worthing, Sussex, and Online.

I am an experienced counsellor within the LGBTQ+ / Gender Sexuality and Relationship Diversity and Queer community. I want to ensure that LGBTQ+ people can access private counselling and therapy knowing that they will be safe, accepted and understood and not have to explain their gender or sexuality. I work with people exploring and questioning their sexuality and / or gender, and all the other issues that come with being human.

I worked for 2 years at East London Out Project (ELOP), a specialist LGBTQ centre offering counselling and group support in Walthamstow, East London. I now work as a Counselling Supervisor at London Friend.

I have 20+ years’ experience working in the mental health and homelessness sector in London. I have developed and managed psychologically and trauma informed environments, offering non-medical, Person-Centred support to people with experiences of psychological crisis and distress, trauma and abuse, sex-working, and using alcohol and drugs to cope. I have trained in group facilitation skills and for 8 years ran the ‘Westminster Unusual Beliefs Group’, a peer-led community support group for people who hear voices, and have experiences and beliefs that are distressing or others find unusual or label as paranoid. I offer a non-pathologising approach to mental health.p

I have personal lived experience of chronic fatigue and a long-term health condition.

Professional qualifications and memberships
Member of National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCS Accredited Registrant – MNCPS Accred.)
Membership number: NCS18-07417. I follow their Code of Ethics.

Accreditation Logo

Training
Diploma in Clinical Supervision with an Intersectional Lens – TA East London Institute, 2022
Certificate in Clinical Supervision with an Intersectional Lens – TA East London Institute, 2021
Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling – Counselling Tutor, 2020
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling – Person-Centred Pathway, City Lit Institute, London
Certificate in Counselling Skills – Person Centred Approach, City Lit

Work experience
Counselling Supervisor, London Friend, LGBTQ+ Health and Wellbeing charity
Volunteer Counsellor, ELOP (East London Out Project) LGBTQ Centre
Service Manager, St Mungo’s, Westminster Mental Health Service

Other memberships

Gendered Intelligence Counsellors and Therapists Network
World Association for Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counselling
The Person Centred Association

Short courses and conferences
A Matter of Death and Life – Irvin Yalom, Online Events. March 2021
The Tribes of Person-Centred Therapy: Celebration of Diversity & Difference – Mick Cooper, Online Events. March 2021
PCCS CPD Day with Art Bohart & Sheila Haugh, Online Events. February 2021
Guilt and Single Session Therapy – Windy Dryden, Online Events. January 2021
Existential Therapies. Exploring the Rich tapestry of Practices – Mick Cooper, Online Events. January 2021
Kink on Pink – Pink Therapy webinar series for therapists. May-June 2020
Working with Shame, Carolyn Spring. February 2020
Cross Cultural Communication 2019. Intensive Person-Centred Personal Development Group. Hungary. July 2019 (7 days)
(Re)Thinking Trans Healthcare: Bridging the Gap Between Policy, Practitioner and Patient – one-day inter-disciplinary trans healthcare conference, University of Bristol – March 2019
Working alongside trans, gender diverse and questioning people. Gendered Intelligence, London. November 2018 (2 days)
Kink Conference – From the Bottom to the Top – emerging trends in therapy and BDSM. Pink Therapy. October 2018
Working with Suicide and Self-Harm. Clare Shaw. September 2018
Deconstructing Personality Disorder. MIND. September 2018
PCE 2018 Vienna – 13th World Conference for Person-Centred & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counselling. WAPCEPC, Vienna, Austria. July 2018 (5 days)
Trauma Informed Mental Health Services. University of East London. June 2018
ISPS Liverpool 2017, Making real change happen. The 20th International Congress of ISPS. University of Liverpool. August 2017 (5 days)
Introduction to the Open Dialogue Approach. Open Dialogue UK. March 2014 (6 days)
Making sense of voices, Maastricht Interview Technique. Peter Bullimore, Hearing Voices Network. January 2014 (2 days)
Trauma, Abuse and Dissociation. Jacqui Dillon and Eleanor Longdon. April 2013 (2 days)