About Talking Therapy North
Dr Steve Hoole
Clinical Psychologist, Rochdale
Are you struggling with anxiety or depression that has been a part of your life far too long? Have you tried counselling or CBT but it hasn’t resolved your problem? Are you ready to explore your life’s experiences to finally get to the bottom of your symptoms? If so I’d love to hear from you.
My name is Dr Steve Hoole, I’m a Clinical Psychologist with a decade’s experience of helping people just like you; in the NHS, charity sector and in private practice. I specialise in working with longstanding anxiety, depression and early relationship difficulties, helping clients understand how their past impacts the life they want to live.
I am trained to doctoral level in a variety of therapies, however I draw predominantly on psychodynamic approaches and attachment theory when working with clients. This means helping a person to look at how their early life experiences and relationships shape the ways in which they relate to themselves and others, and how this may be causing their problems.
Over the years I have helped many people to take back control of their lives from problems and build the life they want to live. Working together to build insight and develop new ways of coping, has led to many life-changing outcomes. If you are ready to take your own first step towards change, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Katy Hoole
Person-centred Counsellor, Rochdale
Are you feeling overwhelmed and alone in your feelings? Working through some challenging life events? Or maybe you have been feeling stuck, low, or anxious without being able to understand why. As a qualified person-centred counsellor, I aim to provide that safe, non-judgemental space for you to share, unburden and work through feelings and experiences you would like support with. The values at the heart of my counselling practice are empathy, non-judgement and congruence (being genuine).
I have experience working with a wide range of mental health issues including anxiety, self-esteem, trauma, domestic abuse and violence, parenthood, post-natal mental health and later-life transitions. Whatever the reason you come to therapy, with me you will find an empathic and reflective listener, a safe space to share parts of you that feel vulnerable or that have been hidden for a long time, and an understanding and respect for what you bring as a client.
I work from a core model of person-centred counselling, but I am also trained in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). This has its foundations in attachment theory and places great value on the need for secure emotional connections within and between individuals. Using this approach, EFIT aims to transform core emotional experiences, moving clients from emotional experiences that can feel alien, frightening and unacceptable, to a place where they can self-regulate, find acceptance, and start to form new ways of being with themselves and others.
Natasha Ashworth
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Rochdale.
Is life feeling overwhelming—for yourself or your child?
Natasha Ashworth brings warmth, experience, and evidence-based confidence to her practice. With deep roots in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and forensic environments, Natasha fosters a safe, inclusive space for adults, children, and young people navigating anxiety, low mood, trauma, and emotional challenges.
As a BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Natasha tailors each session to where the person is. She combines the structure of CBT with compassion-focused strategies and DBT-informed techniques—especially designed for those who may feel unheard, misunderstood, or reluctant to start therapy.
Drawing upon both clinical foundations and real-world understanding, Natasha creates a collaborative environment that balances gentle support with practical, lasting change.
Natasha is uniquely experienced in working with individuals who face barriers to connection—those who may have struggled to open up or found traditional therapy unhelpful. Her training empowers her to help clients build emotional understanding, safety, and resilience at their own pace.
Samantha Tait
Chartered Psychologist and Registered Forensic Psychologist, Rochdale.
Samantha Tait (BSc Hons, MSc, C.Psychol, AFBPsS) is a chartered psychologist and registered forensic psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with individuals with mental health disorders in both forensic settings and the community. She is a qualified Dialectical Behaviour Therapist and an accredited EMDR practitioner and is also experienced in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). She started her career in the prison service where she worked for 6 years, before moving to the private healthcare sector where she then worked in secure mental health hospitals for 15 years. She now works full time in private practice delivering therapy, as an expert witness for the courts, and a specialist member of the parole board for England and Wales.
Samantha has a wealth of experience working with people who have a diverse range of presenting problems including depression, anxiety, paranoid thinking, psychosis, addictions, complex trauma, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Her specialist area is trauma, and her primary therapeutic model is EMDR. If you have experienced trauma that you are struggling to cope with and would like help processing what has happened to you so that you can move forward, Samantha will support you in this process. Trauma, big or small, can have a significant impact on how we feel and the way we function. Samantha will help you to overcome this and move forward towards a brighter future where you can feel safe and content in yourself.
Qualifications
Dr Steve Hoole
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
RAPPS Approved Supervisor Training
Institute of Group Analysis Diploma in Groupwork Practice
Advanced Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
DBT Skills Training: Essentials
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ongoing)
Emotionally Focussed Couples Therapy (EFCT) Externship
Advanced Combined Safeguarding (L4) for Designated Safeguarding Leads
Katy Hoole
Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
Emotionally Focussed Individual Therapy (EFIT) Essentials
Emotionally Focussed Individual Therapy (EFIT) Consultation
Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
PGCE in English with Drama
BA Hons Combined Studies in English and Psychology