Nicola Spence , BACP

Nicola Spence is a counsellor who supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She also helps with coping when life changes feel overwhelming, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, ADHD and concerns linked to body image and eating. Nicola works with clients who are LGBT and with a wide range of other life challenges.

Her style is human-centred and compassion focused. Sessions start by talking about what brings someone to therapy and building a shared picture of their life and experiences. Nicola does not use symptom checklists or diagnostic labels; she prefers to understand each person as an individual.

She draws on several practical approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based ways of working. These methods are used to help people notice patterns, try small changes and build more helpful habits in day-to-day life.

Nicola has three years of professional experience and is registered with the BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her work is trauma informed and focused on empowering people to make choices about their therapy and next steps.

Early sessions usually explore history and current difficulties and set simple goals together. Nicola aims to be clear about options, to offer practical coping strategies, and to help people find a direction that fits their values and needs.

If you prefer a counsellor who emphasises understanding, warmth and collaboration, Nicola may be a match for you.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without letting them control action. It focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small committed steps towards them, which can help with anxiety, low mood and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts influence feelings and behaviour and teaches practical techniques to test and change unhelpful patterns, useful for stress, anxiety and depression. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape responses in adult life and can help when intimacy, trust or relationship patterns are a core concern.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Nicola will collaborate with each person to decide which methods suit their goals and preferences. That choice can change over time as needs evolve and the pair review progress together.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for deeper emotional work, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed, and chat or messaging suits people who prefer typed conversation or want support between live sessions. These options help people fit therapy around work, caregiving or travel and make regular contact more achievable.