About Emma: Background, Qualifications & Training
My core practitioner training was a UKCP and BACP accredited course with Northern Guild Psychotherapy and Counselling.
Hello, I’m Emma Yates – a qualified therapist based in York, offering a calm, supportive space where you can begin to explore what’s going on for you, at your pace.
I work with adults, young people, and couples, both in person and online. People come to therapy for many reasons — anxiety, low mood, trauma, grief, identity, relationships, or simply feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Whatever brings you here, my aim is to walk alongside you with empathy, curiosity, and care.
My approach is integrative, which means I draw from several therapeutic models, tailoring sessions to meet your individual needs. At the heart of my work is a belief in the power of authentic connection — that healing happens when we feel truly heard, accepted, and safe enough to explore our inner world.
I hold professional qualifications in counselling and psychotherapy and undertake regular supervision and continued professional development to ensure ethical, grounded, and up-to-date practice. I am also a registered member of BACP, committed to working with integrity, inclusivity, and respect.
Therapy isn’t about fixing you — because you are not broken. It’s about gently understanding the parts of you that have been hurt, silenced, or lost, and helping you reconnect with your own voice, values, and strength.
My aim is to walk alongside you, with care, as you reconnect with your inner resources and make sense of life’s challenges.
Before training as a therapist, I worked for over two decades as a professional harpist and music teacher. I began learning the harp at age eight and went on to perform at weddings, events, and concerts, as well as teach students of all ages and abilities. Alongside classical training, I was drawn to the more therapeutic aspects of music — creating calming compositions, facilitating meditative experiences, and exploring how sound can help us settle, soothe, and feel.
That deep listening — to mood, rhythm, unspoken emotion — now shapes the way I work in the therapy room. I bring a grounded presence and a creative, relational approach, tailored to each person I work with.
I am committed to ethical, inclusive, and trauma-informed practice. I also undertake regular supervision and ongoing professional development to support my work.
If you’d like to know more about how I work or whether therapy with me might be a good fit, feel free to get in touch.
Background Before Therapy
Long before stepping into therapy training, I developed a deep connection to music, especially the harp. I began studying harp from the age of 8 and I’ve been performing professionally for over 20 years, which has given me extensive experience in performance, teaching, and musical expression.
Over that time I’ve worked in a variety of musical settings — teaching both lever and pedal harp, preparing students for graded exams (ABRSM, Trinity, Guildhall etc.), performing in weddings and events, and composing/producing original & therapeutic harp music.
I also have experience in harp therapy elements: creating relaxing harp music, doing guided visualisations & meditations, designing musical pieces for well‑being, and using harp sound in therapeutic or calming settings, not just performance. Emma Yates Harpist
This foundation in music, performance, teaching, and therapeutic sound has shaped the way I now bring empathy, rhythm, listening, and attunement into my therapy work.
Hello, I’m Emma Yates – a qualified therapist based in York, offering a calm, supportive space where you can begin to explore what’s going on for you, at your pace.
I work with adults, young people, and couples, both in person and online. People come to therapy for many reasons — anxiety, low mood, trauma, grief, identity, relationships, or simply feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Whatever brings you here, my aim is to walk alongside you with empathy, curiosity, and care.
My approach is integrative, which means I draw from several therapeutic models, tailoring sessions to meet your individual needs. At the heart of my work is a belief in the power of authentic connection — that healing happens when we feel truly heard, accepted, and safe enough to explore our inner world.
I hold professional qualifications in counselling and psychotherapy and undertake regular supervision and continued professional development to ensure ethical, grounded, and up-to-date practice. I am also a registered member of BACP, committed to working with integrity, inclusivity, and respect.
Therapy isn’t about fixing you — because you are not broken. It’s about gently understanding the parts of you that have been hurt, silenced, or lost, and helping you reconnect with your own voice, values, and strength.
My aim is to walk alongside you, with care, as you reconnect with your inner resources and make sense of life’s challenges.
Before training as a therapist, I worked for over two decades as a professional harpist and music teacher. I began learning the harp at age eight and went on to perform at weddings, events, and concerts, as well as teach students of all ages and abilities. Alongside classical training, I was drawn to the more therapeutic aspects of music — creating calming compositions, facilitating meditative experiences, and exploring how sound can help us settle, soothe, and feel.
That deep listening — to mood, rhythm, unspoken emotion — now shapes the way I work in the therapy room. I bring a grounded presence and a creative, relational approach, tailored to each person I work with.
I am committed to ethical, inclusive, and trauma-informed practice. I also undertake regular supervision and ongoing professional development to support my work.
If you’d like to know more about how I work or whether therapy with me might be a good fit, feel free to get in touch.
Background Before Therapy
Long before stepping into therapy training, I developed a deep connection to music, especially the harp. I began studying harp from the age of 8 and I’ve been performing professionally for over 20 years, which has given me extensive experience in performance, teaching, and musical expression.
Over that time I’ve worked in a variety of musical settings — teaching both lever and pedal harp, preparing students for graded exams (ABRSM, Trinity, Guildhall etc.), performing in weddings and events, and composing/producing original & therapeutic harp music.
I also have experience in harp therapy elements: creating relaxing harp music, doing guided visualisations & meditations, designing musical pieces for well‑being, and using harp sound in therapeutic or calming settings, not just performance. Emma Yates Harpist
This foundation in music, performance, teaching, and therapeutic sound has shaped the way I now bring empathy, rhythm, listening, and attunement into my therapy work.
Locations
York
15 Priory Street.
York.
YO1 6ET.
York.
YO1 6ET.
Harrogate
The Harlow.
1 Cardale Park.
Beckwith Head Road.
Harrogate.
HG3 1RZ.
1 Cardale Park.
Beckwith Head Road.
Harrogate.
HG3 1RZ.
Leeds
Unity Business Centre.
26 Roundhay Road.
LS7 1AB.
26 Roundhay Road.
LS7 1AB.
