Michele Junges-Stainthorpe , BACP

Michele Junges-Stainthorpe brings more than two decades of professional experience to her counselling and therapy work, supporting individuals, couples, children, young people, and whole families. She works with a broad range of challenges including autism and neurodiversity, ADHD, depression and low mood, anxiety and stress, grief and bereavement, eating and body image concerns, self-harm, trauma and post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive difficulties, anger, gender and sexual identity questions, substance and alcohol related issues, relationship strain, chronic illness, and many other life transitions and emotional struggles.

Michele offers a warm, accessible approach for children, teenagers, and adults who find navigating a neurotypical world challenging, and she is fluent in French for those who prefer to work in that language. She also has some knowledge of Russian and German, which can help when elements of those languages arise in sessions.

Her practice adapts to each person’s needs, drawing on a wide range of therapeutic techniques to help clients understand the roots of their difficulties and build on personal, social, and material strengths. Michele’s training includes a BA in Counselling from Glasgow Caledonian University, a Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (BTEC 5) from South Tyneside College, and a BA (hons) in French, Russian and Politics from the University of Northumbria. She is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the United Kingdom.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Michele works with several established approaches that can be adapted to remote formats. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the client’s experience and supports self-directed growth by creating a respectful, empathetic therapeutic relationship that helps people explore their feelings and values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical skills to identify and change unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns, commonly used for anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers tools for regulating intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and building distress tolerance, which can be especially helpful for anger, relationship struggles, and emotional instability.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Michele collaborates with each person to determine what fits their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors methods over time so the work remains relevant and manageable.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging makes it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to connect across distances. These options offer flexibility in scheduling, allow people to work from comfortable settings, and support continuity of care for those who travel or live outside the therapist’s immediate area.