Dorcas Upshall, BACP
Dorcas Upshall is a counsellor who centres each session on the client’s goals.
- Stress & Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- +13 more
About Dorcas
Dorcas Upshall is a counsellor who centres each session on the client’s goals. She guides people who feel overwhelmed by life, work, money or relationships. Sessions aim to help people understand what they are facing and find ways to move forward.
Dorcas uses straightforward conversation to help clients notice unhelpful thought patterns and day-to-day behaviours. She helps people name difficult feelings and develop practical ways to manage them. The work is collaborative and paced to each person’s needs.
Background and approach
She has worked in domestic abuse services, LGBTQ+ charities and addiction and recovery settings. Her background also includes pastoral care in schools and roles supporting adults and young people with special educational needs. She spent over ten years working as a teacher which informs her clear, calm way of explaining things.
Dorcas is kink-aware and comfortable discussing BDSM and alternative sex culture. She supports people dealing with relationship and intimacy issues, sexual concerns, and complex histories. Her approach is to listen first, then introduce techniques that fit the person’s life.
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. Sessions are offered in English and she works with international clients. Many clients use a mix of talking and practical tasks between sessions to keep making small changes.
People often come for help with anxiety, stress, depression and coping with life changes. Dorcas aims to help people build emotional confidence and clearer choices for the future.
Registration
| Body | Registration number | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| BACP | 406848 | June 2026 |
Registration details are as listed on the counsellor's public profile. You can check any number with the registering body.
Sessions and payment
Sessions are held online through our partner platform, by video, phone or messaging depending on the counsellor.
Costs are shown on the partner platform before you commit. If cost is a concern, ask about reduced-fee options.
Focus areas and approaches
What Dorcas works with
Everything Dorcas lists, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Body image
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Approaches Dorcas lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
Online support
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It offers straightforward tools to challenge unhelpful thinking and to build different habits, which can help with anxiety, depression and stress.
Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about their needs, goals and preferences and together they decide which ways of working to try. It is common to combine listening-based work with skills or exercises between sessions to get steady progress.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different lives. Video suits fuller conversation and visual cues, phone can be handy when bandwidth is low, and messaging or live chat can be useful for shorter check-ins or people who prefer writing. These options make therapy easier to fit around work, family or travel and give more choice about how someone wants to connect.
Frequently asked
What kinds of problems does Dorcas help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression and coping with life changes. Other areas include relationships, addiction, grief, eating and intimacy-related issues.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a collaborative, person-centred style that is conversational and practical. Sessions focus on understanding thought patterns and building everyday coping skills.
What is her background and experience?
Dorcas has three years of counselling experience and over ten years as a teacher. She has worked in domestic abuse services, LGBTQ+ charities and addiction and recovery settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and is based in the United Kingdom.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What formats are used for sessions?
Sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging depending on what suits the client.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Dorcas?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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