Claire Phillips , BACP

Claire Phillips is a counsellor with ten years of professional experience and registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She offers a steady, non-judgemental space where people can talk about difficult thoughts and feelings. Claire writes plainly and listens closely so conversations feel manageable even when they are painful.

Claire uses a person-centred way of working that focuses on the individual's experience and aims to build trust and understanding. She also draws on attachment ideas and cognitive approaches to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try different ways of relating to themselves and others. Mindfulness and motivational techniques are used when they suit the person's needs.

Her background includes long periods living and working in South East Asia and over two decades in South East London. That history informs a culturally aware practice and a flexible approach to different life stories. Claire has worked in NHS surgeries, prisons and drop-in centres, gaining experience with complex presentations.

She has supported people facing trauma, substance and alcohol issues, self-harm, suicidal thinking and a wide range of mental health concerns. Claire emphasises practical next steps and the strengths people already hold when moving through change.

People come to work on anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, eating and sleeping problems, ADHD, parenting pressures and issues related to identity and sexuality. Sessions aim to help people feel clearer, more able to cope and more in touch with their own resources.

How Claire uses therapeutic approaches online

Claire often combines person-centred practice with attachment-informed thinking and cognitive behavioural techniques. Person-centred work focuses on listening, reflecting and helping people feel heard so they can explore difficult feelings at their own pace. Attachment-informed work looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people notice and change unhelpful ways of relating. Cognitive behavioural approaches help identify upsetting thoughts and test small behavioural changes to reduce distress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Claire collaborates with each person to decide what feels most useful, adapting methods to the individual's goals and reactions. She checks in about what is and isn’t helping and adjusts the plan as therapy progresses.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to make therapy easier to fit into busy lives. Video calls are good for face-to-face conversation, phone work can be used when bandwidth is limited, and messaging suits shorter check-ins or people who prefer not to be on camera. These options aim to make it simpler to keep regular appointments and work on change from wherever you are.