Eila Ghrayeb, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It encourages choosing actions that match personal values, which can be useful for depression, anxiety and motivation problems.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It uses practical exercises and experiments to test unhelpful thinking and build different responses to stress and mood challenges.

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and helps people develop more supported ways of relating. It can be helpful when trust, intimacy or family patterns are causing distress.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try different ways of working and agree what feels most helpful. This collaborative process means methods are adapted to each person rather than imposed.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is good for face-to-face discussion and emotional work, phone is useful when bandwidth is low or a shorter check-in is needed, and messaging or live chat can suit brief updates or those who prefer writing. These options give more flexibility for people juggling work, travel or family commitments and make it easier to continue therapy when life is busy.