Caroline Laing, BACP

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person rather than fixes. It involves attentive listening, reflecting what matters to the client, and helping people reconnect with their own values and choices. This approach can help with feelings of emptiness, low self-esteem and grief where understanding and acceptance are needed.

Motivational Interviewing helps people notice their own reasons for change and builds motivation in small steps. It works well for situations involving career shifts, health-related habits, caregiver strain or when someone feels stuck and unsure how to move forward.

Solution-Focused Therapy is brief and goal-oriented. It concentrates on practical next steps and what already works for the person, making it useful for tackling anxiety, stress, relationship communication and coping with life changes.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to agree what feels most useful, adjusting methods to fit the person’s goals and preferences rather than imposing a single method. That shared planning can begin in the first few sessions.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls allow a face-to-face style conversation, phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is low, and live chat or text-based messaging suit shorter check-ins or people who prefer writing. These formats make it easier to fit sessions around work, childcare and medical appointments while keeping therapy practical and responsive.