Clare Payne , BACP

Clare Payne offers a straightforward, person-centred approach for people feeling stuck, overwhelmed or unsure where to turn. She meets clients where they are and lets the day’s priorities guide sessions. Clare aims to help people untangle recurring patterns, cope with anxiety or grief, and decide on what matters next.

Her background includes a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Coaching from the University of East London and membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, recorded as BACP. Clare uses this training to blend humanistic listening with practical steps when needed.

Sessions start with a focus on what brought someone to therapy and what they hope to change. Early meetings are also used to check whether the working relationship feels right. Most appointments run for 45 minutes and follow the pace set by the client.

Clare draws on a few different approaches to match each person’s needs. These include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice values and take action, Attachment-Based Therapy to look at relationship patterns, and Client-Centred work that places the client’s view at the centre of the conversation.

She works with a range of concerns such as anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, grief, trauma and abuse, body image and LGBT matters. Clare also supports people facing career stress, compassion fatigue and fertility-related worries.

Her style is calm and practical; she listens first and then helps people set small, achievable steps. The aim is clearer choices and more manageable days rather than quick fixes.

How Clare’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice what truly matters to them and take small, value-led steps. It can be useful for anxiety, stress and when someone feels stuck in unhelpful patterns. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections and can help with intimacy and communication struggles. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what the client brings, giving people space to name their priorities and feel heard.

Deciding on the best approach is a shared process. Clare will discuss different methods and tailor sessions to a person’s needs, goals and preferences. Over the first few meetings she checks what is working and adapts the mix of listening, practical tools and reflective work accordingly.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation from a chosen location, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat offers quicker check-ins and text messaging supports short updates or reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility so people can choose what fits their day and attention span.