Barbara Coates , BACP

Barbara Coates is a qualified integrative psychotherapist practising in the United Kingdom, holding a Master's degree and five years of professional experience. She combines multiple psychotherapeutic approaches to tailor support to each person's needs and holds membership of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

She aims to create an open, safe therapeutic environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared freely. She listens and responds with compassion and empathy, offering non-judgemental support. Clients describe her as kind, understanding, non-judgemental and very easy to talk to.

Barbara works with a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety and panic, low mood and depression, mood swings and bipolar challenges, trauma and abuse including childhood trauma, grief and loss, relationship and family difficulties, low self-esteem and confidence, addictions, ADHD, sleeping problems, anger, and coping with life changes. She also supports people facing abandonment and attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic pain or illness, communication and commitment problems, and other family of origin difficulties.

Her approach is bespoke and flexible, helping clients identify strengths, develop strategies and practical tools, and establish wellbeing routines that support recovery and improved daily functioning. She integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Attachment-based ideas and a person-centred way of working to help people understand patterns, regulate emotions and make new behavioural choices. Reaching out for support takes courage, and Barbara follows BACP ethical guidelines while working under UK law. She notes that she is required to break personal nature of sessions if there is a significant risk of harm to someone and that clinical supervision is part of her professional practice.

Approach-Focused Online Therapy

Barbara Coates draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationships influence current patterns of relating and emotion. This approach helps people understand attachment styles, address abandonment or trust issues, and build healthier ways of connecting with others.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - CBT - to map the links between thoughts, feelings, bodily reactions and behaviours. CBT offers practical strategies for managing anxiety, mood difficulties, unhelpful thought patterns and behavioural changes, helping clients develop skills they can apply between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Barbara takes a collaborative stance, working with clients to decide which methods best fit their needs, goals and preferences. She adapts interventions over time as goals evolve.

Online therapy with Barbara can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for people with busy schedules, mobility limits or who live far from services. These options make it easier to access regular, consistent support and to integrate tools and strategies into everyday life while working with licensed professionals and therapists who tailor the work to each individual.