Susan Jenner, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and then choose actions that match their values; it is useful for anxiety, depression and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thought patterns and testing them with practical experiments to change mood and behaviour; this often helps with sleep, worry and low mood. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how past relationships shape current connections and emotional responses, which can be useful for intimacy and relationship difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what feels most helpful. Together they will try methods, adjust the focus, and agree a pace that feels manageable and realistic.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging makes it simpler to fit therapy into busy lives. Video is good for face-to-face conversation and non-verbal cues, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging suits short check-ins or ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility to use different formats as needs change.