Welcome
TRGU stands for The Real Glow Up, a space rooted in the belief that healing from trauma is not just about recovery, but about reclaiming your power. Born from the idea that adversity doesn’t define us, TRGU is about the inner transformation that happens when we face our wounds with courage, compassion, and curiosity. Here, you are not seen as a victim, but as someone with the potential to turn pain into purpose. My approach is trauma-informed, inclusive, and client-led, offering support that honours your autonomy, identity, and pace.
A real glow up not just about outer appearance, it is a result of doing deep inner work: reclaiming our sense of agency, restoring self-trust, and navigating adversity with resilience. Abuse can affect all aspects of our well-being, including physical health and our perception of what healthy relationships entail. This website aims to offer more than just information about my services. It is intended as a safe and supportive space, a place where you can find resources to build resilience, develop awareness, and feel empowered in protecting all aspects of your well-being.
"Healing happens in the presence of an empathetic witness"- Bessel van der Kolk
About me:
Kirsty Richardson
Background
Before training as a counsellor, I worked with people facing complex needs across various settings in mental health (crisis intervention and support for carers of people with mental illness), Adult Social Services and housing key work and management.
These diverse professional experiences have shaped a holistic perspective, leading to a strong appreciation for a client-centred, compassionate approach, as well as an experientially informed foundation, shaped from my own lived experiences, deep inner work and continued reflections.
A common thread throughout my career has been supporting people who have experienced abuse or trauma. I have a particular understanding of the complexities involved in covert abuse and the dynamics at play in these situations.
Training
My core training is in humanistic counselling (person-centred) via CPCAB, with additional training in trauma-informed approach. During my placements, I supported clients impacted by developmental and relational trauma, as well as those navigating issues specifically relating to their neurodivergence. Alongside this, I’ve completed training in psychology, mental health, and continued professional development explicitly focused on abuse and its long-term impact.
While I work from a person-centred foundation, my priority is always safety, creating an environment where clients can feel secure, heard, and empowered in their healing journey.
In addition to counselling, I also have training in music production and sound engineering. I draw on this creativity by offering guided meditations and original relaxation music, designed to support emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and aid recovery from trauma.
I am also a Reiki practitioner, and whilst I don't work directly with spiritual or energetic healing in my practice right now, I welcome clients who wish to incorporate a spiritual dimension into their sessions. For those on a spiritual path, I hold space with sensitivity and respect, honouring each person's unique beliefs and experiences.
Focus
I work predominantly with developmental and relational trauma, affecting all genders and people from all walks of life; and sessions are led by the client. My aim is to create a safe, compassionate, and validating space where we can explore your journey together. We work at your pace to make sense of what has happened, support your healing, and develop tools to help you feel safer and more empowered. To deepen my work in trauma recovery, my next area of training will be in psychodynamic somatic-informed Trauma Therapy, enabling me to work more directly with the body and nervous system in the treatment of trauma. I hold space for individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities, including those who are neurodivergent. I follow the social model of disability and the neurodiversity paradigm, which acknowledges that barriers often lie within systems, environments, and societal attitudes, rather than within the individual. My goal is to create a therapeutic environment that honours each person’s needs, identity, and way of being.
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Services
From 45 British pounds