Gillian Cooper , BACP

Gillian Cooper is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom who works with adults on a wide range of life challenges. She draws on nine years of professional experience to help people manage anxiety, stress, grief and changes that follow separation or loss. She is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and offers both counselling and longer-term therapy depending on what someone needs.

Gillian adapts her work to each person. In shorter counselling sessions she focuses on immediate problems and practical steps to feel better day to day. In longer therapy she looks at past experiences to understand how they affect current patterns and relationships. Both ways are collaborative and paced to the person’s goals.

Her background includes roles in trauma services for women and girls, NHS hospital bereavement work, Mind UK and private care. She has also tutored counselling students up to Level 4 and supported learners with career planning, confidence building and resilience skills.

Gillian has worked with people affected by trauma, abuse, addiction and challenging behaviour, and supports those coping with parenting strain, changes to sleep or eating, body image and intimacy-related concerns. She also includes faith-informed values when requested and respects a wide range of beliefs and identities.

People who choose her can expect a straightforward plan for therapy, clear discussion of aims and collaborative sessions aimed at helping them move toward their goals.

Approaches and online support that adapt to you

Attachment-based work looks at patterns from close relationships and how early bonds shape current trust and intimacy. It can help people who struggle with connection, commitment worries or intense fears of abandonment. Client-centred therapy focuses on a person’s own goals and pace, offering empathic listening and support to help someone find their own solutions and build self-worth. Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, looks at unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and offers practical techniques to change them; it is often used for anxiety, low mood and stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Gillian treats this as a team effort - she will listen to what matters to the client, discuss different ways of working and agree on an approach that fits their goals and values. Plans are reviewed and adjusted as work progresses so the method stays relevant to each person’s needs.

Online therapy gives practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual connection matters. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging can suit people who prefer writing or need support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family or mobility constraints while keeping the focus on steady progress.