Karen Bannerman , BACP

Karen Bannerman welcomes people seeking help with stress, anxiety, low mood and relationship strain. She is a counsellor with 25 years of professional experience and holds BACP registration. Karen aims to make it simple to talk about hard things and to feel heard without judgement.

She approaches sessions in a calm, straightforward way. Karen listens first to understand what matters most to each person. Together they set practical goals and try things that fit everyday life. She uses conversational skills to help people notice patterns and make small, useful changes.

Over her career Karen has supported people through grief, trauma and addiction issues. She also works with concerns such as body image, parenting stress, career changes and compassion fatigue. Her practice includes helping people with intimacy-related worries, communication problems and managing long-term health conditions.

Karen draws on a mix of approaches to match what someone needs. She uses attachment-based ideas to look at relationships, client-centred listening to follow the person’s priorities, and cognitive behavioural tools to tackle unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Mindfulness and psychodynamic perspectives may also inform the work.

Sessions are offered in English and take place online by video, phone, chat or messaging. Karen is based in the United Kingdom and will suggest other agencies if more specialist help is needed. To begin, people complete a short questionnaire and then arrange sessions that suit them.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Attachment-based work looks at how relationships shape feelings and expectations. Online sessions can help people notice repeated patterns in close relationships and practise new ways of connecting. Client-centred therapy focuses on listening and following the person's priorities. In an online session the counsellor offers a warm, non-judgemental space and lets the person guide the pace and topics discussed.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapy itself. Karen will talk with each person about goals, preferences and what feels helpful. Together they decide which methods to try and adapt them as the work progresses in a collaborative way.

Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual cues help. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a quieter setup is needed. Live chat and text messaging suit brief check-ins, written reflection or people who prefer not to use audio. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving and busy days, while still working with attachment and client-centred principles.