Claire Payne, NCPS

Claire Payne is a counsellor with three years of private practice experience and an NCPS credential. She welcomes people who are feeling stuck by trauma, strained by caregiving, or overwhelmed at work. Claire writes simply and speaks plainly so people can decide if she feels like the right fit.

She practises in the United Kingdom and offers sessions by video, phone, live chat or text messaging. Claire draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques and adapts her approach to each person's needs. Her aim is to make the first steps into therapy easier and less confusing.

Claire focuses on issues such as trauma and abuse, self-esteem, family concerns, career stress and compassion fatigue. She also helps people deal with abandonment, attachment difficulties, divorce and separation, guilt and shame, and post-traumatic stress. Practical, paced conversation is used to help people notice patterns and find manageable next steps.

Her background includes work in social care settings, which shapes how she understands long-term stress and early-life trauma. She offers both shorter-term problem-focused work and longer-term support when people want that. Sessions are adjusted to someone’s pace and what feels most useful in the moment.

People who come to Claire can expect straightforward talk, space to think, and techniques chosen to suit their goals. She describes therapy as a collaboration where small changes add up over time.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online support

Claire works with commonly used evidence-based approaches that help people make practical changes. Cognitive-behavioural techniques focus on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new ways of responding, which can reduce anxiety and improve daily functioning. Person-centred ways of working emphasise listening, validation and building trust so people feel heard and can explore what matters most to them.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Claire will discuss goals and preferences with each person and adjust methods as sessions progress. Together they will try techniques and decide what helps most, whether that means short-term skills work or longer therapeutic exploration.

Online sessions offer flexibility and easier access to support. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual connection helps. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging make it possible to check in between longer sessions and fit therapy around work or caregiving commitments.