Valerie Finn, BACP

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting conversation. The therapist follows what feels important to the person and helps them make sense of their experience in their own words. This approach is useful for people needing space to be heard and understood. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behaviour that keep problems going. It breaks issues into small steps and uses straightforward exercises to test new ways of thinking and acting, which can help with anxiety, low mood and stress. Finding the best approach is a joint effort. Valerie will work with each person to decide whether listening-focused work, CBT tasks or short solution-focused plans suit their goals. She adapts methods as the work progresses so sessions stay relevant and practical. Online sessions offer real flexibility. Video calls are close to an in-person meeting and allow face-to-face conversation. Phone sessions work well for shorter check-ins or when video is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging let people use written conversations for brief updates, reflections or when they prefer not to be on camera. Registered or accredited professionals can use these formats to make therapy fit around work, caregiving and daily life.