Kay Vickers, BACP, NCPS

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and reconnect with what matters to them. It is often used when someone feels stuck, isolated or unsure of their next steps. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT, focuses on how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact and gives straightforward tools to reduce anxiety and low mood. It suits problems like worry, low mood and sleep disturbance. Client-Centred Therapy places the person's experience at the heart of the work, using empathic listening to build understanding and self-acceptance; this approach helps when people need steady, non-judgemental support.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapy process. The therapist will work together with the client to decide what seems most useful based on goals, preferences and what emerges in early sessions. That collaborative planning helps shape practical tasks, conversation topics and how progress is reviewed.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins and text-based messaging works for brief reflections between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caring responsibilities and day-to-day life while still using practical techniques from ACT, CBT and client-centred work.