The Family Associates

Louisa Waite -Anxiety and Trauma Specialist (EMDR) and Occupational Therapist

Hey, my name is Louisa Waite.


I’m a Wellbeing Coach & Health Care Professions Council registered Occupational Therapist (OT), Farmer’s daughter, mother, step-mother & wife from Carlisle, Cumbria. I have 15 years’ experience in clinical practice working as an OT, I also work as a Supervisor, Trainer & Teaching Associate specialising in all things mental health & wellbeing related. I enjoying having a broad range of tools in my professional kit bag & have therefore completed training in other complimentary approaches such as Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Professional Coaching, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR).

At heart I’m a highly energetic yet patient & extremely compassionate individual who loves simplicity, running, swimming & the countryside. Being raised on a farm, I gain great inspiration from nature & believe we all have a sense of purpose & meaning that when we align with, enables us to be our happiest, healthiest & most high vibe self. It is this belief that fuels my passion to support others to understand, unlock & unleash their true potential via my empowering, non-judgemental & nurturing approach.
I enjoy variety & working with individuals of all life stages including tweens, teens, young adults, students, parents, those in retirement & carers. I have worked for various organisations during my career, including community based & inpatient services, mainly in senior & supervisory roles up to Clinical Lead level. My work has involved supporting clients experiencing a range of dis-ease & difficulties such as feelings of inadequacy, worthlessness, anxiety, imposter syndrome, low self-esteem & fear of failure.
I’m a client-centered Therapist & focus heavily on my clients ‘what matters mosts’. I strive to support those I serve to identify the things they want & need to do to achieve a satisfying & fulfilling life, in line with their needs, interests, values & ambitions. My work includes identifying areas of difficulty, further skill development & intervention to support my clients to achieve their meaningful goals. I often also explore environmental factors influencing their performance to ensure optimum wellbeing.
I work online or in person in Carlisle, in line with client preferences & love working with those keen to increase their sense of confidence, capability, resilience, fulfilment & wellbeing to ultimately unleash their true, limitless potential.

I can help you with:

  • Increasing your self-belief 
  • Building confidence in your communication & interaction skills
  • Performance anxiety
  • General anxiety
  • Overwhelm 
  • Anger management
  • Emotional regulation
  • Imposter syndrome 
  • Self-doubt
  • Low self-esteem 
  • Adverse childhood experiences 
  • Trauma (including PTSD) 
  • Depression or low Mood
  • Shyness & social anxiety
  • Stress
  • Difficult life transitions 
  • Emotionally-Based School Avoidance
  • Difficulties with completing activities of daily living
  • Addictive tendencies 
  • Carer compassion fatigue 
  • Challenges associated with being neurodiverse

Who I work with

  • Tweens 
  • Teens 
  • Young Adults (19 -25)
  • Adults and Older Adults

Testimonials

“Louisa is the most amazing therapist and coach. I did not know what to expect from my first session with her and I’ve been blown away by the deep emotional trauma that came up from my childhood.

I look forward to our follow ups and cannot recommend her highly enough.”

“I met with Louisa, not really knowing what to expect as I’d never explored my mindset issues before. All I knew is that I definitely had unresolved issues. Wow, we uncovered a lot and feel mentally refreshed and like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I would highly recommend Louisa to ANYBODY seeking help. She is very good at what she does and is clearly very passionate also.”

“Louisa’s aura is instantly calming. Within the first 10 minutes of our meeting, I felt a little better already. Her soothing voice is warm, understanding and non-judgmental. I think Louisa is very aware of the things people need support with and acts accordingly being mindful and efficient. She gave me some clarity I needed on an issue that has been deep rooted within me for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to continue my journey with her to recover from old wounds that need to be healed.”