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

Therapy for Adults, Children & Families

Therapy for Adults, Children & Families

Whether you’re an adult navigating anxiety, depression or trauma, a parent worried about your child, or a family working through difficult times – VLM Therapy offers a warm, professional and evidence-based space to begin healing.

Vicki McKeown is an accredited Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and EMDR Practitioner with over 15 years’ experience, based in North Shields and working with clients across the North East.

Who I can help…

Who I can help…

Everyone’s journey is different. Here’s who I can support:

Therapeutic ParentingTherapeutic Parenting
Additional Services

Therapeutic Parenting

When your child’s behaviour feels challenging or overwhelming, therapeutic parenting sessions can help you understand what’s underneath and respond with confidence. Available online or in person in North Shields.

VLM Therapy - Therapeutic ParentingAVAILABLE ONLINE OR IN PERSON
Additional Services

Supervision helps you stay grounded, ethical, and effective in your work. I offer supervision for counsellors, psychotherapists, trainees, and other helping professionals, tailored to your experience and client needs.

SupervisionSupervision
VLM Therapy - Supervision AVAILABLE ONLINE OR IN PERSON
VLM Therapy
VLM Therapy
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

Latest News Articles

Latest News Articles

VLM Group

Training. Mediation. Consultancy.

Training. Mediation. Consultancy.

Training. Mediation. Consultancy.

VLM.Group

After years of supporting professionals and organisations alongside my therapy practice, I launched VLM Group Ltd in 2026.

The sister company to VLM Therapy, VLM Group provides training, consultancy, mediation, and independent complaints officer services.

It’s the same Vicki, the same values, and the same commitment to doing things properly – just in a different setting.

Want to be the first to know?

Want to be the first to know?

Follow VLM Therapy on Instagram for professional guidance, supportive content and latest updates.

A trigger isn’t a communication problem, it’s a nervous system response. Give yourself space to regulate before expecting yourself to articulate what you need.

#vlmtherapy #regulationfirst #survivalbrain #traumaresponse #trigger
Rest is not a reward you earn after exhaustion.
And rest can’t be restorative if you’re simultaneously shaming yourself for doing less.
The goal isn’t just to stop working, it’s to stop believing your worth depends on productivity.

#VLMtherapy #rest #recharge #recovery #selfcareisessential
When Lisa and I were writing Jake and His Shame Armour, we knew the story itself was only half of what parents, carers, social workers and therapists would need. A picture book can open the door to a conversation about shame, but grown-ups often want to understand the why behind it: what shame actually is, when and how it takes root in children, the theory behind protective behaviours, and Lisa’s shame containment theory, which ultimately shaped everything about Jake and his armour.

That’s why we created an accompanying guidebook. It sits alongside the story and gives you the detail: the theory, practical strategies, and approaches for using the book with a child including the kinds of questions to ask and how to hold the conversation with care. It’s there for anyone supporting a child who’s carrying shame, so the story doesn’t just land, it leads somewhere.

📖 Guidebook available alongside Jake and His Shame Armour https://amzn.eu/d/0fJMqlIG

#ShameContainmentTheory #ChildTherapy #SocialWorkers #Parenting #JakeAndHisShameArmour
Summer holidays are coming 🌞 And if you’re a parent or carer, you already know what that really means…six weeks of routine going out the window, constant demands, and barely a moment to yourself.

Here’s your reminder: self-care isn’t selfish. It’s the oxygen mask. You can’t show up for your kids if you’re running on empty.

This summer, try to build in small pockets of time to recharge, even just 10 minutes. You deserve it too.

#summerholidays #parentselfcare #oxygenmaskanalogy #selfcareisessential #parenting
Take the time to listen and simply be alongside your child in their big feelings. They don’t always need us to fix, correct, or offer solutions right away. Often, feeling heard, understood, and supported is what helps them most.

#therapeuticparenting #connectionbeforecorrection #listen #validate #parenting
The end of the school year is fast approaching so it’s important we start thinking about endings and transitions for our children and young people. 

What do they need from the ending?
How can we support them to have their needs met?

#endings #transitions #academicyear #schoolendings #education
It’s funny how often we give great advice to other people and completely ignore it ourselves.

We tell friends not to be so hard on themselves, to take a break when they’re exhausted, to stop overthinking, to trust their abilities, and to remember that one setback doesn’t define them.

Then we turn around and expect perfection from ourselves.

Sometimes, when we’re stuck, the best thing we can do is ask:
“What would I say to someone I care about if they were in my position?”

The answer is often exactly what we need to hear.
Wisdom is rarely the problem. Applying it to ourselves is.

#Mindset #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #LifeLessons #Perspective
Hard conversations don’t have to be mean conversations. 

Learning to sit with discomfort instead of avoiding it allows for honesty, growth, and stronger relationships. 

Hard conversations don’t have to be mean conversations. 💬
Learning to sit with discomfort instead of avoiding it allows for honesty, growth, and stronger relationships. You can set boundaries, express needs, and address concerns without attacking, blaming, or withdrawing.

Discomfort is often part of healing. 
Communication is a skill that can we learnt but takes practice

#vlmtherapy #communication #listen #healthyrelationships #conflictresolution
When your child is struggling, the last thing they need is more shame.

It’s easy to raise your voice when behaviour is hard. To focus on what they did wrong rather than what they’re feeling inside.

But underneath the meltdowns, the defiance, the shutting down there’s usually a child who is overwhelmed and doesn’t have the words.

Next time things get tough, try pausing and asking: what might my child be carrying right now?

Connection before correction…always!

#ParentingSupport #KidsMentalHealth #EmotionalIntelligence #ShameAwareness #ConnectionBeforeCorrection