Michelle McAllister , NCPS

Michelle McAllister is a counsellor who uses a client-centred approach to help people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief and low self-esteem. She holds NCPS and has four years of professional experience in the United Kingdom. Michelle aims to create a respectful, sensitive space for people to talk and to find ways forward that feel manageable.

Her sessions start with listening. She tailors conversations and plans to each person’s situation rather than applying a fixed formula. Practical aims such as improving confidence, managing worry, or coping after loss are balanced with attention to feelings and personal values.

Michelle draws on cognitive behavioural techniques to help people notice patterns of thinking and try small changes that can reduce distress. She also uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how past experiences influence current relationships and emotions.

Solution-focused work is used where people want short-term, goal-driven support to make specific changes quickly. Across approaches she keeps the work collaborative and paced to what feels doable for the individual.

She is comfortable addressing concerns such as attachment and abandonment worries, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, communication problems, and the emotional effects of separation. Michelle also supports people working through guilt, shame, isolation, life purpose questions, and pregnancy or childbirth related stress.

Sessions are offered in English and conducted online by video, phone, live chat or text messaging. Michelle encourages a first step of completing a short questionnaire so she can match her approach to each person’s goals.

How her approaches work online

Michelle commonly uses client-centred work and cognitive behavioural therapy in online sessions. Client-centred therapy focuses on listening closely and responding to what matters most to the person. It helps people feel heard and decide on their own priorities for change. Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions link together and uses practical exercises to test new ways of responding to worry and low mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. She will discuss options and tailor the mix of techniques to the person's goals, preferences and pace. This is a collaborative decision so the plan can change as progress is made.

Online therapy offers different ways to connect: video calls for face-to-face conversations, phone sessions when video is not possible, live chat for short check-ins, or text messaging for ongoing support between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving or health needs and let people pick what feels most comfortable for them. Registered or accredited professionals can adjust activities and homework to work well in any of these formats.