Alan Cox, BACP

Alan Cox is a counsellor with 13 years of professional experience. He works with people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns and issues such as grief, anger, addictions and jealousy. He draws on everyday language and practical steps so conversations are clear and down to earth.

He began counselling in 2008 in the voluntary sector and set up a independent practice in 2012 after completing a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Counselling. He also holds a Foundation Degree in Counselling and continues to provide supervision in the bereavement voluntary sector.

Alan says he has personal experience of being in therapy, so he understands how it can feel to sit in the other chair. That experience informs his calm and empathic listening style. Sessions aim to reflect back what is happening for the person and to help them make sense of their feelings.

His way of working mixes practical coaching ideas with talking therapies. He looks at the immediate issue and the practical factors that keep it going. This includes everyday pressures such as work changes, redundancy or retirement, which he has long experience of through previous roles in coaching, training and people development.

People can expect straightforward conversation, focused listening and help to decide next steps. He uses different therapeutic approaches as useful tools, tailoring them to each person instead of offering a single fixed method.

Therapeutic approaches and online working

Alan combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centred methods and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in everyday language. ACT helps people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that match their values, which can be useful for anxiety and avoidance. Client-Centred work focuses on listening and reflecting so a person feels heard and understood, often helping with grief and relationship concerns. CBT looks at patterns of thinking and behaviour and offers simple exercises to reduce symptoms such as panic, low mood or unhelpful worry.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels useful, then adapt methods as needed. This is a collaborative process rather than a fixed plan handed down from the start.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy life. It can reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins around work breaks and offer options when someone needs lower bandwidth contact like audio rather than video. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, please confirm current online options before booking so you know how sessions will be arranged.