Pennie Sheppard, BACP

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood and coping with long-term health problems. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and teaches practical strategies to change unhelpful patterns. It often helps with anxiety, depression and stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy focuses on understanding emotions in relationships and improving emotional connection, which can support people dealing with relationship stress or attachment issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will talk with the person about their goals and preferences and suggest methods that may help. This is a collaborative process and can change as needs evolve during therapy.

Online sessions are offered by registered or accredited professionals using video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging. Video is useful for a fuller conversation and visual cues, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and text chat or messaging can fit short check-ins or quieter days. These options make it easier to schedule sessions around work, care responsibilities or mobility limits, and let people keep working on progress between appointments.