Paula Otley

Paula Otley is a counsellor who helps people facing strong emotions like anger, grief, anxiety and stress. She meets each person as they are and focuses on building a steady working relationship to make talking feel easier and clearer.

Paula trained as an integrative counsellor with a focus on person-centred and psychodynamic ways of working. She also completed training in cognitive behavioural therapy, so she draws on different methods to match what each person needs. Her credentials include BACP and NCPS and she has been practising in related roles for 16 years.

Before formal training, Paula spent many years as a bereavement support volunteer, sitting alongside people during very difficult times. That experience shaped her approach and led her into counselling. She has worked in GP practices, the NHS, charities, community counselling services, private practice and employee assistance programmes.

Sessions are shaped around the person rather than a single method. Conversations can include looking at patterns from the past, practical skills for managing overwhelming feelings, and noticing how thoughts affect moods and behaviour. Paula emphasises collaboration and helps people agree what to focus on.

People who come to Paula often want help with relationship difficulties, parenting strain, addiction concerns, low self-esteem, trauma, grief, or coping with life changes. She also supports issues linked to ADHD, chronic illness, body image and workplace stress. The work is paced to each person’s needs and aims to make everyday life more manageable.

How Paula's approaches translate to online work

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape feelings and reactions. Online sessions can use gentle conversation to notice patterns and try different ways of relating to difficult emotions such as anger or fear.

Person-centred counselling centres the person's pace and priorities. In remote sessions the counsellor follows each person's lead, offering empathic listening and reflective dialogue to help clarify what matters most right now.

Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions and teaches practical strategies to manage overwhelming emotions. Online work can include short exercises and simple behavioural experiments to try between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will talk with each person about needs, goals and preferences and decide together which methods to use. This collaborative process can change as progress is made.

Please confirm which session formats are offered before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling around work, childcare and travel, and they can allow quieter check-ins or shorter appointments when needed.