Aedemur McGlone, BACP

Two evidence-based approaches often used in working with anxiety and stress are brief structured techniques and trauma-informed conversation. Brief structured techniques focus on small, practical steps - learning ways to notice stress reactions, try short grounding exercises, and test new coping strategies between sessions. This approach can help with panic attacks, social anxiety and day-to-day overwhelm.

Trauma-informed conversation means the counsellor pays attention to how past distress shapes current feelings and responses. It involves pacing the work, validating difficult memories and gently building new safety and coping skills; this can support people recovering from post-traumatic stress and complex grief.

Finding the right approach is part of the work itself. The counsellor will discuss goals, preferences and reactions and then try methods that fit the client's needs. That means sessions evolve as trust grows and what helps becomes clearer, with the client steering the pace and focus.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for busy lives. Video calls let people keep visual contact and read body language, while phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging suit shorter check-ins, ongoing reflection between sessions, or moments when typing feels easier than speaking. These formats make it simpler to fit therapy around work, childcare and travel.