Claire Bottomley, BACP

Claire Bottomley offers calm, straightforward support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety or difficult life events. She speaks plainly and listens closely to understand what is getting in the way of everyday coping. Sessions focus on practical steps and clearer thinking so people can begin to feel steadier and more able to manage day-to-day life.

Claire trained in Therapeutic Counselling, gaining a First Class Honours degree, and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy. She is an accredited member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, BACP. Her background includes five years of practice helping people navigate anxiety, low mood, grief, relationship difficulties and traumatic experiences.

Her approach is collaborative and tailored. She uses client-centred listening alongside cognitive behavioural ideas to spot unhelpful thought patterns. When needed, she draws in longer-term perspectives from psychodynamic work to look at how past experience affects current behaviour.

Claire also offers approaches aimed at trauma recovery and practical problem-solving strategies for coping, including elements from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and solution-focused techniques. Sessions concentrate on what the person wants to change and on small steps that make life more manageable.

People are encouraged to bring specific concerns such as sleep, intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, addiction or attention-related difficulties. Claire aims to create a steady, non-judgemental space where people can talk things through and test new ways of responding to stress.

She works in English and is based in the United Kingdom. International clients may be accepted; please confirm current session options when arranging a first meeting.

How Claire's approaches translate to online work

Claire uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice what matters to them and take small steps towards those values, even when worries or low mood are present. This approach often helps with anxiety, motivation and coping with life changes.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact. CBT offers practical techniques for managing panic, sleep problems, unhelpful thinking and some forms of trauma-related distress.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Claire will work with each person to decide which methods match their needs and goals, adapting techniques as sessions progress in a collaborative way.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, for example by removing travel time or allowing a shorter check-in during a work break. Because the profile does not list specific session formats, confirm available options before booking so you know what will be offered. Registered or accredited professionals like Claire can guide choices about format and frequency to help therapy sit alongside everyday commitments.