Claire Cotgrove, BACP

Claire Cotgrove offers a calm, non-judgemental space for people exploring sexuality, gender or neurodivergence. She welcomes those who have experienced trauma, coercive relationships, or who carry shame and guilt. Conversation focuses on the person's experience and what they want to change. Claire uses a kind, empathetic approach to help people feel more accepted and empowered.

Claire is a BACP counsellor with three years of clinical experience. She works in a person-centred way, putting the client's perspective at the heart of sessions. That means listening closely and following what matters most to the person in front of her.

She also uses trauma-focused methods when past harm is affecting day-to-day life. This helps people safely address painful memories and the ways trauma shows up now. Sessions are paced to each person's needs and tolerance.

Claire helps with a wide range of concerns. These include LGBT-related issues, relationship and intimacy difficulties, ADHD, abandonment and attachment struggles, and problems related to autism and Asperger syndrome. She also supports people dealing with domestic violence, divorce, chronic illness, and sexuality or gender questions.

Sessions may include talking, reflective listening, and creative options when useful. The emphasis is on building understanding, reducing shame, and finding practical ways to manage difficult feelings. Claire aims to walk alongside people as they work towards clearer sense of self and healthier ways of relating to others.

How Claire's approaches work online

Claire uses person-centred therapy to place the client's experience at the centre of each session. That means the counsellor listens closely, reflects what she hears, and follows the client's priorities to help them find clarity and self-acceptance.

She also draws on trauma-focused therapy when past harm is affecting current life. This approach helps people gently attend to painful memories and the ways trauma shows up now, using paced, step-by-step work suited to each person's needs.

Deciding which approach to use is a collaborative process. Claire will talk with the person about their goals, worries and preferences, and together they choose methods that feel like the best fit. The plan can change as therapy progresses to match what helps most.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to give practical flexibility. Video lets people use visual cues for deeper connection, phone can be helpful when bandwidth is low or a simpler check-in is needed, and messaging suits shorter updates or those who prefer not to use audio or video. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, travel or family commitments and support continuity of care when in-person meetings are not possible.