Deirdre MacNamara

Deirdre MacNamara is a BACP counsellor who helps people navigate strong feelings like anger, anxiety and grief. She works with adults and young people, and she aims to make therapy a calm, steady place to talk about what’s happening now and what’s coming next.

She meets people with stress, trauma, depression, eating concerns and low self esteem. Deirdre also supports those coping with life changes, chronic illness or caregiving strain, and she has experience with first responder issues and prejudice-related distress. Her practice is based in the United Kingdom.

Her way of working is gentle and practical. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Client-Centred ideas and Mindfulness. Sessions focus on noticing difficult feelings, grounding in the present, and choosing values-driven steps that feel possible.

Deirdre has five years of direct counselling experience in community health, education and private practice. She has worked with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and with indigenous communities in previous roles. That background informs her attention to cultural factors in sessions.

She describes the counselling relationship as a collaborative space built on warmth and respect. Deirdre aims to tailor the pace and tools used so they fit each person's needs and goals. The work is about small, steady changes toward a more manageable daily life.

Approaches that guide online counselling

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck in them and focuses on small actions that reflect personal values. It can help when anger, anxiety or low mood block the things you care about. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centres on how emotions shape relationships and personal patterns, helping people name feelings and change how they respond to them.

Finding the right way of working is part of the therapy itself. Deirdre will work together with each person to choose approaches that match their goals and preferences. This is a collaborative process that may blend mindfulness, acceptance and emotionally-focused techniques to suit the situation.

If you are considering online sessions, please confirm the available session formats before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people use mindfulness and values work in everyday settings between meetings, which can help build new habits over time.