James Costigan, BACP

James Costigan is a BACP counsellor with nine years of experience. He focuses on helping men who feel they carry pressure in silence. James aims to create a calm space where people can slow down, notice what is going on, and begin to make clearer choices.

He helps people build self-awareness and make sense of their emotions. James supports people as they work through stress, anxiety, depression and addiction concerns, including struggles related to pornography. He also helps with relationship difficulties, intimacy-related worries, self-esteem and career pressures.

Sessions move at a pace that suits each person. James draws on his corporate background to relate to workplace stress and performance expectations. He uses practical conversation, gentle challenge and reflection to help people try different ways of responding to old patterns.

People who come to him often want clearer thinking, steadier moods, and a better handle on daily pressures. James will stay alongside clients through the process as they build coping skills and decide next steps. He encourages realistic, step-by-step change rather than quick fixes.

James works with issues such as ADHD, attachment and abandonment concerns, codependency and communication problems. He also supports people navigating body image, BDSM, kink and alternative sex culture matters, caregiver stress, and separation or divorce related difficulties.

Approaches that translate to online counselling

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person’s experience. It helps people feel heard and build their own solutions rather than being told what to do. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions and offers practical ways to try different responses for anxiety, depression or unhelpful habits. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and support calmer thinking during stressful moments.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what feels workable. Together they decide which methods suit the issue and the person’s day-to-day life, and adjust the plan as progress is made.

The profile does not list specific session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling around work, family life and travel. They also allow shorter check-ins when needed, and make it simpler to continue work with a therapist from a different location. Registered or accredited professionals can use online sessions to carry out similar therapeutic conversations to face-to-face work, while focusing on practical steps and coping strategies.