Katie Waine Counsellor in Wirral

My background

Before becoming a counsellor, I worked for over nine years as a nursery nurse, supporting young children through important stages of development and building positive relationships with families.

I later moved into a more specialised support role as part of the Cradle to Career team, working within a multi-disciplinary team to provide early help and ongoing support to children, young people, and their families.

As a Support Worker, I worked closely with both children and their families, building trusting relationships and providing consistent, tailored support during important periods in their lives. I was passionate about being the voice of the child and ensuring their needs, feelings, and experiences were always heard and represented. I provided one-to-one support, delivered direct work sessions adapted to each child’s individual needs, visited children within school settings, attended multi-agency meetings, and worked collaboratively with families and professionals to achieve the best outcomes for each child.

A key part of my role involved supporting children and young people to build confidence, emotional wellbeing, social skills, and independence through positive experiences within the wider community. 

I also worked as a Children and Young People’s Enablement Officer for Henshaws across Merseyside and Manchester, supporting children and young people living with visual impairments and sight loss, as well as their families. In this role, I provided information, advice, guidance, and emotional support to families . I worked alongside personalised support plans to help children and young people access the right support and opportunities, while also organising family days, post-16 events, and residential trips.

My role focused on creating positive experiences that helped children and young people build friendships, confidence, independence, and resilience, while supporting families to feel understood, supported, and less isolated.

My passion for supporting children, young people, and families led me into counselling, as I wanted to deepen my knowledge and understanding in order to provide more meaningful emotional support. My experience across education, community support, disability services, and therapeutic support has shaped the compassionate and person-centred approach I bring to my counselling work today.

What I bring to my work

I bring passion, dedication, and a genuine commitment to supporting the emotional wellbeing and development of children, young people, and adults. I am motivated by building trusting relationships and creating safe, supportive spaces where people feel heard, valued, and understood.

Alongside my counselling work, I currently work as a SEND Teaching Assistant through an agency, supporting children and young people within a variety of school settings. This role continues to strengthen my understanding of inclusivity, emotional wellbeing, and the everyday challenges many young people face. I enjoy adapting my approach to meet individual needs and helping to create environments where children feel safe, regulated, and able to learn.

As someone who is neurodivergent with ADHD, and a parent of a child with additional needs, I bring both personal insight and professional experience to my work. This deepens my empathy, patience, and understanding of the importance of being truly seen, heard, and supported.