Liz Elshaw, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and reconnect with what matters to them. It supports values-based action and can be useful for anxiety, low mood and coping with long-term challenges. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, focuses on practical ways to change patterns of thinking and behaviour that contribute to distress. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression and stress and often involves simple exercises and tasks to try between sessions. Emotionally-Focused Therapy aims to help people recognise and name feelings, and to improve emotional connection and communication in important relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will talk with the person about their goals and preferences, then agree on methods to try together. This is a collaborative process and plans are adjusted as progress is reviewed.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow conversational depth and visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and text options suit shorter check-ins or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family or medical commitments and to maintain continuity when life is busy.