Brenda Sutcliffe , BACP

Brenda Sutcliffe is a counsellor with 14 years of clinical experience in the United Kingdom. She works with people facing low mood, stress and anxiety, and those coping with addictions. Brenda also supports people struggling with relationship difficulties, self-esteem and motivation.

She sees clients as the experts in their own lives. Sessions focus on drawing out existing strengths and practical steps that make day-to-day life easier. The aim is to build small, achievable changes rather than impose a single solution.

Brenda uses straightforward conversations to explore what matters most to each person. She adapts her style to match how someone prefers to work, using question-led discussion and exercises when useful. This approach helps clarify goals and reduce overwhelm.

Her work covers a wide range of concerns including caregiver stress, commitment and communication problems, control issues, guilt, shame, isolation and workplace pressures. She also offers support for self-harm, recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, and themes around forgiveness and self-love. Women’s issues are listed among the areas she focuses on.

Sessions typically balance listening with practical tools drawn from cognitive behavioural techniques and solution-focused methods. Motivational interviewing is used to support change when people feel stuck. Brenda aims to create a calm, respectful space where clients can take steady steps toward the life they want.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and showing empathy so the client can make sense of their own experience; it helps when someone needs a steady, non-judgemental space to talk through feelings. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and uses practical exercises to test new ways of thinking and coping with stress or anxiety.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, then adapt techniques from different approaches as needed. This keeps the process collaborative and targeted to the person’s current concerns.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to make therapy fit into busy lives. Video calls allow for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a simpler check-in is needed, and messaging suits shorter updates or more flexible pacing. These formats make it easier to schedule sessions around work, caregiving or travel while still using the same therapeutic methods.