Richard Whitelaw

Richard Whitelaw is a counsellor working in the United Kingdom with six years of professional experience and a BACP registration. He helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief and loss, anger, low self-esteem and depression. He aims to meet each person with respect, sensitivity and compassion. Taking the first step can feel hard and he acknowledges that choice when people begin work together.

Richard adapts sessions to each person's needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan. He listens first, then shapes conversation and exercises to match what matters to the individual. That might mean focusing on ways to manage impulses, building confidence, or talking through feelings after a relationship change.

His approach draws on client-centred methods that place the person's experience at the heart of the work. Mindfulness practices are used to help people notice difficult thoughts and bodily tension in manageable steps. Internal Family Systems ideas can help separate and understand conflicting parts of yourself that drive anger or self-criticism.

Sessions are intended to be practical and readable. People can expect clear, plain language, short-term strategies and deeper exploration when needed. Richard emphasises collaboration and tries to make each session feel like a shared task rather than a lecture.

If someone is unsure how to begin, he recommends completing the short matching questionnaire and booking a first appointment. That first meeting is used to agree goals and decide what approach will be most helpful going forward.

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Richard uses client-centred work to prioritise the person’s experience in each session. That means the counsellor listens carefully, reflects what is said and builds the conversation around what feels most important to the client. This approach is useful for a wide range of problems including stress, low self-esteem and relationship-related concerns.

Mindfulness therapy in his work focuses on simple attention exercises and noticing physical and emotional reactions. These short practices can help reduce reactivity and support calmer responses to frustration or anger. Internal Family Systems helps people identify different parts of themselves - for example an angry part and a fearful part - and develop a kinder internal conversation between them.

Deciding which approach to use is a collaborative process. He will work with the person to test options, see what feels helpful and adjust the plan over time based on progress and preference. The aim is to find methods that fit day-to-day life and personal goals.

Please confirm the current online session options before booking, as the biography does not list formats. Online counselling can make it easier to fit sessions around work, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed, while still enabling therapeutic conversation and practical exercises.