Katrina Batey

Anxious Children Parent Coach

Katrina Batey is a former primary school teacher and Deputy Head with nearly twenty years’ experience in education. After the birth of her second child, she left teaching and moved with her family to Sweden, where her focus shifted toward children’s mental health and wellbeing. During this time, she completed a Master’s degree in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King’s College London, graduating with distinction, and qualified as a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach.

Around this period, Katrina’s own parenting journey took an unexpected turn when it became clear that her eldest daughter was experiencing significant anxiety. She struggled to speak or respond to people outside her immediate family and, after returning to England and starting school, she was diagnosed with selective mutism, an anxiety disorder affecting approximately 1 in 140 children. Like many children with anxiety, her daughter also experienced multiple overlapping fears.

Navigating this journey was challenging both practically and emotionally. Katrina experienced first-hand how isolating and overwhelming it can feel to parent an anxious child, particularly when you are trying to support them while managing your own worry and exhaustion. This personal experience would ultimately shape her professional path.

Initially, Katrina began coaching parents to support their own emotional wellbeing. However, she quickly recognised a common theme. Parents did not just want to feel better themselves; they wanted clear, effective ways to help their children. This insight led her to focus on practical, evidence-based approaches that empower parents to make meaningful changes.

Through her research, Katrina discovered S.P.A.C.E. (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a validated, parent-led anxiety treatment programme developed by Dr Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center. SPACE places parents at the heart of change, equipping them with tools to respond differently to anxiety and reduce unhelpful accommodations. The result is a shift that benefits both parent and child, creating lasting change and resilience for the future.

Today, Katrina works with parents using SPACE alongside a range of other evidence-based techniques. She supports families facing both mild and more complex anxiety challenges, including those involving neurodivergence. Her greatest passion is early intervention, particularly for children up to the age of 11, helping families build strong foundations before the increased pressures of adolescence.