Michelle Saunders , NCPS

Michelle Saunders uses a client-centred approach at the heart of her practice. She listens first and follows each person's pace to help them make sense of difficult feelings. Michelle aims to make sessions straightforward and practical so people can start to feel better in day-to-day life.

Michelle has six years of counselling experience and is registered with NCPS. She has worked in a variety of health settings over a long career, including nurseries and emergency care, and brings that familiarity with health-related stress to her counselling work. Her background helps her relate to people coping with long-term health conditions alongside emotional concerns.

She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, anger and low self-esteem. She also supports those facing depression, grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and trauma and abuse. Eating and body-image difficulties, addiction-related worries and caregiver stress are other areas she addresses.

Michelle draws on motivational interviewing to help people identify what matters to them and to build their own reasons for change. She also uses solution-focused techniques to set clear, achievable goals in short-term work. Sessions are collaborative and tailored to each person's needs.

Sessions are offered in English and held online via video calls, phone, live chat or text messaging. The practicalities of cost and scheduling follow a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and book according to the therapist's availability.

How Michelle's approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy is about listening and following the person's agenda. It helps people explore feelings at their own pace and find what matters to them most. Motivational Interviewing focuses on building motivation for change by uncovering personal reasons to act and addressing mixed feelings. It can be useful for issues like addiction, health behaviours and getting unstuck.

Choosing the right approach is something Michelle does together with each person. She will ask about goals, daily life and what has or hasn't helped before. From there she suggests ways to work and adapts the plan as progress is made, keeping decisions collaborative and practical.

Online formats allow the same methods to be used without needing to travel. Video calls let people use visual cues and a fuller conversational style. Phone sessions suit those who prefer not to be on camera or who have lower bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging offer shorter, more frequent check-ins and can fit around work or caregiving commitments. These options make it easier to keep continuity and fit therapy into a busy life.