Anna Doherty, BACP

Anna Doherty helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, eating and addictive behaviours, sleep problems, low self-esteem, ADHD and grief. She also supports those coping with trauma and abuse, major life changes, career pressures and family-related difficulties. Anna is a BACP counsellor with six years' experience working in the United Kingdom.

Her way of working is straightforward and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on what matters to the person sitting in front of her. She uses client-centred listening to build understanding, then draws on practical tools from cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness when helpful. Somatic ideas are sometimes used to notice how the body holds stress.

Anna works with people who are dealing with abandonment and attachment issues, body image and eating-related concerns, chronic illness and pain, codependency, communication and control difficulties, and feelings of emptiness. She also addresses challenges linked to autism and Asperger syndrome, avoidant and dependent personality patterns, divorce and domestic violence, and cancer-related distress.

Sessions are tailored to each person’s needs rather than following a fixed formula. Conversations aim to clarify patterns, test small new ways of responding, and build steady coping skills. Mindfulness exercises and short behavioural experiments are commonly used in between sessions.

People can expect a calm, respectful space for honest conversation. Anna’s approach combines thoughtful listening with practical steps for day-to-day coping. She helps people work through painful experiences and develop clearer ways forward.

Approaches that suit online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person’s experience. The therapist offers empathy and acceptance so people can talk through feelings and make sense of their choices. This approach helps with low self-esteem, grief and general life stress.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses clear exercises and small experiments to test new ways of coping with anxiety, sleep problems, depression and unhelpful habits.

Mindfulness Therapy brings attention to the present moment through simple practices. Short mindfulness exercises help with stress, rumination and sleep difficulties, and they are easy to use between sessions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that fit the person’s preferences, and adjust the plan as they learn what helps most. This is a collaborative process aimed at practical improvements.

Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits quick check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection. These options offer flexibility for people who need different formats at different times, while still allowing structured CBT exercises, mindfulness practice and reflective client-centred dialogue to continue effectively.