Paula Bantick-Ward

Paula Bantick-Ward is a counsellor who aims to make therapy accessible and affordable. She offers a calm space for people who feel overwhelmed, stuck or unsure where to turn. Paula works to help clients understand their feelings and find practical ways to move forward.

Paula describes her approach as person-centred. That means she aims to be genuine and non-judgemental in sessions and to listen first. She uses empathy to help people uncover what matters to them and to explore how past experiences shape current reactions.

Alongside person-centred work, Paula draws on other approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy and solution-focused techniques. She may suggest simple exercises, journaling or metaphors to help people notice patterns and try new responses. These tools are offered in a gentle, non-directive way so clients can decide what feels useful.

Her practice covers a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, grief, relationship issues, addictions, eating-related problems, anger and self-esteem. She also supports people dealing with life changes, career strain and attachment-related worries. Paula highlights practical outcomes like clearer thinking, steadier emotions and better coping strategies.

Paula is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, marked BACP, and has eight years' experience. She provides sessions by phone and online, and accepts international clients, with appointments arranged through a short matching process.

How Paula uses key approaches online

Paula uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed, and then choose actions that match their values. ACT can be useful for stress, anxiety and life changes because it focuses on what matters to the person rather than trying to stop difficult feelings.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours connect. CBT offers practical exercises and short experiments to test unhelpful thinking and build new coping habits, which can help with anxiety, depression and anger.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, and then suggest pathways to try together. She frames this as a collaboration where methods are adjusted as progress is made.

Her biography notes she provides online and telephone sessions, so please confirm available formats when you book. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy around busy days, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. Telephone sessions can suit people who prefer not to use video or need a lower-bandwidth option, while online sessions can allow visual cues and shared written exercises.