Anne-Marie Bates, BACP

Anne-Marie Bates offers calm, straightforward support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety or low mood. She meets each person without judgement and aims to make sessions feel manageable. She explains options clearly and helps people take small steps towards change.

Anne-Marie is an Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. She has 12 years of counselling experience. That time includes work with students and staff at a college of higher education and private practice with people from varied backgrounds.

In sessions she listens first and adapts her approach to what each person needs. Practical tools are offered alongside space to talk things through. She works on everyday problems such as worry, low self-worth and difficulties in close relationships.

Anne-Marie also supports people dealing with body image concerns, communication problems, control issues, feelings of emptiness, guilt and shame, and isolation. She can help with questions about life purpose, midlife change, sexuality and self-love.

Her practice includes working with self-harm thoughts, impulsivity, social anxiety and phobia, and family problems as they affect an individual. Sessions aim to be respectful, sensitive and focused on practical progress.

She tailors conversation and the plan for each person, making therapy a collaborative process. Anne-Marie encourages taking the first steps and offers steady support while people work toward clearer goals.

How Anne-Marie’s approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on treating the person with respect and empathy. The counsellor listens carefully and follows what the person brings, helping them find their own answers. This works well for people who need an accepting space to talk through feelings.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses practical exercises and short experiments to shift unwanted patterns, which can help with anxiety, low mood and social worries.

Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on small, achievable steps and on what is already working. It suits people who want quick, practical changes and clearer goals to measure progress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The counsellor collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals and preferences. That choice can change as progress is made, and sessions are adjusted together.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for people with busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation without travel, phone sessions can fit into a short break, live chat suits those who prefer typing, and text-based messaging helps with quick check-ins or keeping a record of thoughts. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent and to try different formats as needs change.