Deborah Steel , BACP

Deborah Steel is a counsellor with 12 years' experience who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression and trauma. She supports those dealing with grief, intimacy-related concerns and self-esteem challenges. People contact her when life changes feel hard to manage and they want practical ways to cope.

Deborah trained to a BA (Hons) in Counselling and is a member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, BACP. She draws on straightforward, evidence-informed methods to help people understand unhelpful patterns and try new ways of responding. Conversations are direct but warm and grounded in the client's pace.

Her approach combines client-centred listening with tools from cognitive behavioural therapy and emotionally-focused work. She also brings mindfulness and existential ideas when clients want to explore meaning, values or life transitions. Sessions are aimed at clear, usable steps as well as deeper personal work.

Deborah has experience supporting people with a wide range of concerns, including relationship strain, parenting stress, compassion fatigue, ADHD and career difficulties. She also works with issues connected to adoption, attachment and ageing. This breadth means she can spot links between current problems and past experiences.

Sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to suit different needs. Deborah encourages questions about the process and will work with each person to set realistic goals and check progress along the way.

How Deborah's approaches work online

Deborah uses client-centred therapy to create a respectful space where the person sets the pace and topics. This approach helps people feel heard and decide what change matters most to them.

She also uses cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at how thoughts and behaviours keep problems going and introduces simple experiments and coping strategies to test new ways of responding. Emotionally-focused work is used when relationship hurts or attachment issues are central; it helps people name and work with key emotions to improve connection and self-understanding.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the work. Deborah will talk with each person about their goals, try methods that suit their needs, and adjust the plan as progress is reviewed. The choice of approach is collaborative and practical rather than fixed in advance.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is useful for fuller conversational work and non-verbal cues. Phone sessions are flexible when bandwidth or visual focus is limited. Live chat and messaging provide shorter check-ins and written reflections that can fit around busy schedules. These options make therapy more accessible and easier to fit into everyday life.