Claire Phillips , BACP

Claire Phillips is a counsellor with more than 10 years of professional experience and is registered with the BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, a UK professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists. As a Person-Centred counsellor she focuses on creating a space where people can feel safe to explore thoughts and feelings, even when those feelings are difficult to face.

She encourages individuals to embrace the complexities of their inner lives and relationships, which can reveal new perspectives and support ongoing self-discovery. By helping people to engage with painful and fearful emotions in a supported way, she aims to make strengths more visible and usable when confronting life challenges.

Her life and work have taken her across cultures - she spent over ten years living and working in South East Asia and has lived and worked in South East London for more than twenty years - experiences that inform a culturally sensitive approach. Over the last decade she has practised in diverse settings including NHS surgeries, prisons and drop-in centres, and has worked with children, mostly in care home settings, and with young adults presenting with issues such as suicidal ideation, self-harm and drug and alcohol problems.

Claire has a clear understanding of the ways trauma can show up psychologically, cognitively, behaviourally and physically, and recognises the effects of untreated trauma, including substance or alcohol misuse, depression, dissociation, sexual difficulties and social withdrawal. She aims to facilitate the healing process, to help people discover the strengths they already have, and she considers it a privilege to support others on that journey.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Claire Phillips draws on several established approaches to guide online work. Client-Centred Therapy emphasises an accepting, non-directive relationship in which the therapist supports a person to explore their feelings and priorities; this approach is helpful for building self-understanding and addressing issues like low self-esteem, anxiety and relationship difficulties.

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships influence current patterns of relating and emotional responses. It can be useful for people coping with attachment issues, abandonment, intimacy concerns and the relational impacts of trauma.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and offers practical strategies to manage symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Techniques from CBT can be adapted to shorter tasks or conversation work within online sessions.

Deciding which approach fits best is part of the therapeutic process and Claire will work collaboratively with each person to shape the focus and methods used based on individual needs, goals and preferences. Online formats - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging - offer flexibility for scheduling and allow people to access therapy from different locations. These options can make it easier to maintain continuity of support and to choose the communication style that feels most comfortable for each person.