Joanne Harratt , BACP

Joanne Harratt is a BACP-registered counsellor who supports people facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and body-image concerns, parenting challenges, anger, low self-esteem, and coping with life changes including ADHD-related issues. She works with a broad range of concerns including intimacy and attachment problems, commitment and communication difficulties, blended family and divorce issues, substance and alcohol problems, and feelings of emptiness, guilt or shame. Her practice also includes support for LGBT clients and those dealing with domestic violence and sexualised trauma.

She adopts a client-led approach, offering a space where emotions and thoughts can be explored without judgment or unsolicited advice. Joanne helps clients examine patterns of feeling and behaviour so they can better understand why they react as they do and make more informed choices. Counselling with Joanne is presented as dedicated time to reflect, be heard, and work towards personal understanding and change.

Her formal training includes a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling awarded by the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body and a Certificate of Higher Education in Psychodynamic Counselling from the University of Leicester. She has completed targeted professional development in areas such as complicated grief (2019), transactional analysis (2019), solution-focused therapy (2019), hearing voices (2018), effective anger management for working with men (2017), attachment theory, creative interventions, intrusive thoughts, and working with survivors of sexualised traumas. Joanne has also undertaken training in couples counselling and suicide awareness and mental health.

Joanne brings practical experience from volunteering for over three years with a charity supporting women with complex needs, including survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and from volunteering with a charity for male victims of rape and sexual abuse. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional body named by its initials BACP.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Joanne draws on client-centered therapy, which focuses on creating a respectful, non-directive space where clients lead the conversation and explore their own goals and values. This approach is often helpful for people seeking personal insight, self-esteem work, and emotional processing. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to help individuals and couples identify and work with core emotions and relational patterns - a method suited to relationship difficulties, attachment concerns, and intimacy issues. Psychodynamic therapy is another influence in her work, offering a chance to explore how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings and decisions, which can be useful for longstanding conflicts and trauma-related themes.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Joanne works collaboratively with clients to identify which methods fit best with their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts techniques over time as therapeutic priorities evolve. The aim is to tailor the work so it feels meaningful and practical for each person.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for those seeking help. Video calls and phone sessions allow face-to-face contact without travel, while live chat and text-based messaging provide options for shorter or more frequent check-ins. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to access support from licensed professionals and therapists wherever the client is located within the therapist's service area.