Sarah Leonard , BACP

Sarah Leonard is a counsellor who uses a client-centred approach to support people through difficult times. She holds BACP accreditation and has 18 years of experience working in the United Kingdom. Her style is warm and collaborative, focusing on what each person needs in the moment.

She helps with stress, anxiety and depression and assists people facing life changes, career questions, parenting strain and issues around identity, including LGBT and gender dysphoria concerns. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, addictions, eating and food-related issues, and relationship challenges. Sessions are shaped around practical goals and everyday coping skills.

Sarah draws on cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and mindfulness alongside a client-centred ethic. That means sessions can include thinking through unhelpful patterns, practising grounding and emotion regulation skills, and using motivational techniques to encourage change. She adapts these methods to match what each person finds helpful.

Her additional work has included support for people affected by domestic violence, dissociation, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive difficulties and multicultural concerns. Sarah aims to make therapy straightforward and applicable to daily life rather than full of jargon.

People beginning work with her can expect short-term practical tools alongside space to reflect. The focus is on building skills, noticing patterns and making manageable changes at a person’s own pace.

How practical therapy approaches work online

Sarah commonly uses cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy and adapts them for online work. CBT is about noticing thoughts and behaviours that keep problems going and practising alternative ways of thinking and acting; it suits anxiety, low mood and many everyday difficulties. DBT focuses on emotion regulation, distress tolerance and improving relationships through specific skills practice; it can help when emotions feel overwhelming.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will listen to your goals and try different methods to see what fits. Decisions are made together so the plan matches your needs, pace and preferences rather than following a fixed protocol.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video calls let you use visual cues and longer conversations, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits a quick check-in, and text messaging works well for brief, ongoing support. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, family and mobility needs while keeping tools and skills accessible between sessions.