Catherine Kearns, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and focus on actions that match their values. Online sessions using ACT often include exercises to practise noticing thoughts and setting small, meaningful goals between meetings. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and uses practical tasks to change unhelpful patterns; this approach adapts well to worksheets, brief homework and step-by-step skill building in remote sessions. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships shape current patterns and can help when past losses or trust issues affect present-day connections.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then choose or combine methods to suit them. This is a collaborative process that can be adjusted as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility and practical options. Video calls suit fuller face-to-face style conversations, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports quicker check-ins and text messaging works for short updates or reflection. These formats make it simpler to work around busy lives and to continue care when travel or location would otherwise be a barrier.