Counselling in Deal, Kent and Online

Welcome to Wild Deer Therapy

Counselling for adults and teenagers.

If you've landed here, there's a good chance you're holding a lot. Maybe it looks like:

A lifetime of feeling 'too much' or 'not enough'

Burnout, masking and exhaustion from trying to fit in

Relationships that feel confusing, painful or unsafe

Anxiety, depression or emotional overwhelm

The sense that something just isn't right, even if you can't quite name it

Contact me

Whatever has brought you here, I want you to know one thing first:

You are not broken and you are not too much.

I'm Clara Dawson, a qualified integrative counsellor, based in Deal, Kent. I work with adults and young people who are trying to make sense of their lives, identities and relationships.

My work is trauma-informed, neuro-affirming and deeply relational. This means that instead of trying to change who you are, we focus on understanding your nervous system, your history, your attachment patterns and your inner world with compassion rather judgement.

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What therapy with me is like

Let's get one thing straight - I'm not a 'clipboard' and silence kind of therapist.

I show up as me; doc martens, honesty, warmth with a sprinkle of dark humour. You don't have to perform, mask, impress or find the 'right' words. You get to be messy, guarded, awkward, angry, numb, oversharing or unsure. All of you is welcome.

We'll work together to:

understand your trauma responses and triggers
explore attachment wounds and relationship patterns
untangle shame and self-criticism
reduce masking and increase self-acceptance
reconnect with parts of you that had to go quiet to survive
build safer, healthier relationships starting with the one you have with yourself

These aren't just professional interests to me, they're also personal. I understand what it feels like to grow up feeling different, misunderstood or 'wrong', and how long that story can follow you into adulthood.

I don't 'fix' people. I will be with you as you reclaim your voice, boundaries and power.

I work with a wide range of concerns such as;

Relationship issues including couples therapy and estrangement
Low self-esteem and identity struggles
Burnout and life transitions
Neurodivergence (ADHD, autism, dyslexia)
Anxiety, depression
Difficult past experiences
Trauma (PTSD/C-PTSD)

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Contact Me

Reach out with your therapy questions and enquiries today.