Sophie Holden, NCPS

Client-centred therapy puts the person’s experience first. The counsellor listens actively, reflects what is said and helps people make sense of their feelings. This approach suits those who need a calm, steady space to talk things through.

Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses straightforward exercises and short experiments to reduce unhelpful thinking and change coping habits. CBT can be useful for anxiety, low mood and stress when practical steps are wanted.

Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and steady the mind. These exercises can help with rumination, tension and emotional overwhelm.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, and then try methods together in a collaborative way. That makes it easier to adjust the plan as needs change.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat allows shorter check-ins and text messaging supports ongoing written reflection. These formats let people fit therapy around work, family and daily life while using the approaches above with a registered or accredited professional.