Welcome
TRGU (The Real Glow Up) is a therapeutic resource hub designed to support your wellbeing alongside or outside of therapy, particularly after developmental and/or relational trauma. It is 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 seen 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 is 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. Trauma can affect all aspects of our well-being, including physical health and our perception of what healthy relationships entail. This website 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
Trauma-Informed Counsellor | Psychoeducator
Background & Training
I am a qualified therapeutic counsellor with a trauma-informed approach. I have extensive experience in supporting people with complex needs across mental health and rehabilitation services, providing crisis intervention, psychoeducation, and support for carers, preventative case work in Adult Social Services, and scheme management, working with clients from a wide range of backgrounds and life situations.
This breadth of experience has deepened my understanding of trauma through an intersectional lens and shaped a well-rounded, holistic approach to my practice
In addition to talk therapy, I bring my background in music production and sound engineering into practice by offering guided meditations and original relaxation music, which support emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and aid trauma recovery. (Stay tuned).
I am also a Reiki practitioner with experiential knowledge of Kundalini and spirituality. While I don’t primarily work with spiritual or energetic healing, I welcome clients who wish to integrate a spiritual dimension into their sessions, holding space with sensitivity and respect for individual beliefs and experiences.
Focus & Approach
I specialise in working with adults in their recovery from long-term emotional harm rooted in childhood neglect, covert relational abuse, and invalidating environments, that include relational dynamics such as manipulation, gaslighting, DARVO, triangulation, and smear campaigns, patterns that often go unseen yet cause deep psychological harm.
While I work from a person-centred foundation, my foremost priority is safety. I create an environment where clients can feel secure, truly heard, and empowered throughout their healing journey.
My clients come from diverse backgrounds and life situations, and I hold space for people with 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 provide a therapeutic environment that honours each person’s identity, needs, and unique way of being.
To deepen my trauma work, I am pursuing further training in Psychodynamic Somatic-informed Trauma Therapy, enabling more direct work with the body and nervous system to support healing.
Philosophy & Perspective
My professional journey and lived experiences have shaped a compassionate, client-centred approach grounded in experiential understanding.
Through this website, my aim is not only to provide free support and resources for healing but also to raise awareness of manipulative relational tactics, empowering people to recognise abuse, reclaim autonomy, and move forward with strength.
