Jennifer Blaney-Sutton, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, focuses on helping people notice unhelpful thoughts and reconnect with what matters to them. In practice this can mean learning simple exercises to accept tough feelings and commit to small values-based actions that fit daily life. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT, helps identify thinking and behaviour patterns that keep problems going and teaches straightforward skills to shift them, which can be practised between sessions. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns influence current connections and helps people try new ways of relating and feeling safer with others.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the person about goals, preferences and what feels useful, then adapt methods together. That collaborative process means the style can change over time as needs shift.

Online therapy makes these approaches more flexible. Video calls let people meet face to face when a fuller conversation is needed. Phone sessions suit shorter check-ins or times when camera use is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging allow ongoing reflection and practical coaching between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, care duties and travel, while still using ACT, CBT or attachment-focused ideas in everyday life.