About Vicki McKeown and VLM Therapy
About Vicki McKeown and VLM Therapy

About Vicki

About Vicki

About Vicki McKeown and VLM Therapy
About Vicki McKeown and VLM Therapy

About Vicki McKeown

About Vicki McKeown

My journey into therapy didn’t begin in a lecture hall it began in practice. After qualifying with an MA in Social Work, I found myself sitting with children and families who were carrying enormous amounts of pain and trauma, and I kept hitting the same wall: the systems around us simply didn’t allow for the depth of work those people needed. That realisation led me to train as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor.

I’ve been working directly with clients for 15+ years and have been in private practice since 2016, and what I bring to every session is the wealth of real life experience across social work, therapy, trauma, safeguarding, and supervision. My practice is based in North Shields, and I work with adults, children, young people, and families across the North East.

My Approach

My Approach

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I don’t work from a single fixed model. Instead, I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches, tailoring the work to you and your needs. Depending on what feels most helpful, this may include person-centred therapy, psychodynamic approaches, EMDR, DDP, trauma-informed practice, or attachment theory. The focus is always on finding the approach that creates the best opportunity for meaningful change.

My specialist areas are trauma, attachment, and shame. I work with adults making sense of difficult childhood experiences, children and young people who have experienced loss, neglect, or abuse, adoptive and foster families, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, bereavement, or major life transitions.

I believe behaviour is communication. Whether I’m working with a child struggling at school, an adult caught in repeating patterns, or a parent feeling overwhelmed, my starting point is always curiosity rather than judgement. Together, we can explore what lies beneath the surface and make sense of what’s happening.

Alongside my therapy practice, I am an accredited clinical supervisor. I complete more than 30 hours of CPD each year, focusing on trauma, attachment, safeguarding, dissociation, and developments in therapeutic practice. This commitment reflects my belief that clients deserve a therapist who is knowledgeable, reflective, and dedicated to providing the highest standard of care.

NCPS
Social Work England
Better Me Better Us
VLM Group
VLM Therapy

Academic & Professional

  • MA Social Work
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
  • EMDR Practitioner
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 1 & Level 2
  • Clinical Supervisor (accredited training)
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Professional Registrations & Memberships

NCPS Accredited Member
National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Accredited membership means I meet rigorous standards for training, practice hours, ongoing supervision, and continued professional development.

Registered Social Worker
Social Work England I maintain my registration with Social Work England, reflecting my ongoing commitment to ethical, regulated practice.

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Continuing Professional Development

I complete at least 30 hours of CPD each year, focusing on the areas most relevant to my clients and supervisees. This includes attachment and developmental trauma, complex PTSD, dissociation, safeguarding, shame and relational repair, adoption and care-experienced children, EMDR, and supervision practice. I also stay up to date with developments in research, legislation, and clinical practice to ensure my work remains current, informed, and effective.

VLM Therapy

Insurance & Governance

  • Full professional indemnity insurance
  • Enhanced DBS checked
  • GDPR compliant – clear data protection and confidentiality policies
  • Regular clinical supervision with an accredited supervisor
Qualifications & Accreditations
Qualifications & Accreditations

Academic & Professional

Academic & Professional

  • MA Social Work
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
  • EMDR Practitioner
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 1 & Level 2
  • Clinical Supervisor (accredited training)
VLM Therapy
Qualifications & Accreditations

Professional Registrations & Memberships

Professional Registrations & Memberships

NCPS Accredited Member
National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Accredited membership means I meet rigorous standards for training, practice hours, ongoing supervision, and continued professional development.

Registered Social Worker
Social Work England I maintain my registration with Social Work England, reflecting my ongoing commitment to ethical, regulated practice.

VLM Therapy
Qualifications & Accreditations

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development

I complete at least 30 hours of CPD each year, focusing on the areas most relevant to my clients and supervisees. This includes attachment and developmental trauma, complex PTSD, dissociation, safeguarding, shame and relational repair, adoption and care-experienced children, EMDR, and supervision practice. I also stay up to date with developments in research, legislation, and clinical practice to ensure my work remains current, informed, and effective.

VLM Therapy
Qualifications & Accreditations

Insurance & Governance

Insurance & Governance

  • Full professional indemnity insurance
  • Enhanced DBS checked
  • GDPR compliant – clear data protection and confidentiality policies
  • Regular clinical supervision with an accredited supervisor
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy
  • VLM Therapy

Therapy Room

Therapy Room

The therapy room is based at my private practice in North Shields and is designed to feel calm, welcoming, and non-clinical. With soft grey walls, warm wood flooring, and comfortable seating, it’s a space where adults can think quietly and children can feel at ease.

For children and young people, the room includes a dollhouse, soft toys, games, arts and crafts, and sensory materials. These resources are chosen thoughtfully because the room itself is part of the therapeutic process, offering children different ways to express what they may not yet have words for.

The space works equally well for adults, providing a comfortable and private setting for therapy sessions. Free street parking is available nearby, and full details are shared when arranging your first appointment.

If attending in person isn’t possible, sessions are also available online via a secure video platform. Online therapy is a full and confidential option, whether you’re elsewhere in the North East or further afield.

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Clients’ Success Stories

Thank you Vicki for all your support with our child’s journey.

You got him thinking about himself, his actions and his feelings and helped him through the difficult transition to high school.

Your support for us as a family has been invaluable.

Adoptive Parent

Vicki has supported our children at different stages since my twins were 8, and her work has made a huge difference to our family dynamics and the way we parent, support and interact with each other. We've covered everything from birth family trauma and neglect, behaviour management and self-harm, to life story work helping the twins make informed decisions about their birth family history.

Vicki is non-judgmental, kind and deeply knowledgeable about PTSD and its impact on children's lives and choices. She not only worked with us as a family but actively advocated for us with schools, counsellors and college tutors. It's like having a personal therapist and cheerleader all in one - I can't recommend her enough.

A, Mother of Twins

Vicki is friendly and actually quite funny at times. She is a good listener and never puts words into your mouth like some general/school counsellors do. She is nice to talk to and explains things clearly so that you understand why you may be feeling or behaving the way you are.

Vicki often knew why I felt the way I did before I did and she always helped me to understand why and how this could link to the trauma I had experienced in the past.

I would definitely recommend her therapy sessions as they really helped me.

E Aged 16

I’m very appreciative of the time Vicki spent with X and X, how she valued their thinking and promoted their insight into their own experiences.

I like Vicki’s common sense approach, that she was reliable and very considerate.

Adoptive Parent

I met Vicki in 2019 through a recommendation following an Attach North East course. My daughter had hit a difficult point, and in trying to help her, I realised I needed to deal with my own long-buried trauma first. Sessions were hard going at first - I kept deflecting back to my daughter rather than facing my own past. Vicki gently but persistently brought it back to me. One exercise that really helped was building a "tree of events," which helped me see that not everything in my past was awful. It also helped me reframe growing up without a mother - rather than a source of pain, Vicki helped me see it may actually have made me a better, more determined parent.

By 2022, I was in a much better place, and so was our family. I would highly recommend Vicki - she really listened while quietly steering me where I needed to go, even when I tried my best to avoid it.

Annon

I contacted Vicki in 2021 for help with overwhelming personal and professional issues. My friends are a great support network but I felt I needed an outsiders viewpoint to give an unbiased perspective on my situation and some kind of structured help to deal with it.

I’ve never had therapy before but would absolutely recommend it and particularly Vicki to anyone struggling or feeling as stuck as I was. Vicki was calm, friendly, supportive and objective. Our sessions gave me a safe space to talk freely and practical coping techniques. I’ve been able to move forward in a positive way at last.

H

It was my first time at counselling and I felt very apprehensive opening up to someone I didn’t know, but as soon as my first session started, Vicki made that easier for me and I felt very comfortable. Vicki helped me cope with challenging issues and assisted me with realistic coping strategies that I use almost daily.

She was very supportive, calm and understanding and with all this I was able to move forward and make positive changes. Thank you Vicki for all your help and support, I would 100% recommend to anyone.

Molly

Vicki really helped me when I had lots of worries. We worked together on strategies for when I feel stressed and anxious, and she supported me through difficulties at school, including after I was attacked - she helped me realise it wasn't my fault.

I've started college, made new friends, and feel like I have a good future. I still have to manage big feelings sometimes, but now instead of damaging things I go for a walk and listen to music. I'm a stronger person for all the help I've had.

Adoptive Young Person

The sessions were specific to the needs of our sons difficulties, Vicki was able to develop a positive trusting relationship. She is supportive and honest, and during a difficult time of lockdown her support was amazing.

Our son sustained an assault leaving him confused and anxious Vicki’s helped through the difficult time.

He has transitioned between school and college, Vicki supported him to help alleviate his worries and fears, he has made great progress through the therapy sessions and he has been supported to make positive changes.

Adoptive Parent

Vicki has been very supportive, calm and gentle with me.

She sets a comforting atmosphere and always supplies tea. She has helped me a great deal with my trauma, and I highly recommend her.

Annonymous