Clare Payne, BACP

Clare Payne offers calm, practical support for people facing anxiety, stress, low self-esteem and relationship worries. She bases sessions on what matters to each person that day, helping them make small changes that add up. Clare works with concerns that include trauma, grief, parenting strains, career questions and issues around intimacy and identity. Clare trained at the University of East London and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Coaching. She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. Her background also includes person-centred counselling and life coaching courses, which shape a flexible approach to therapy. Sessions are client-centred and start by understanding what brought someone to therapy and what they hope to change. Clare listens for recurring patterns and stuck points, then helps people try out new ways of thinking or behaving. Practical coaching techniques are used alongside talking work when goal-setting or life changes are needed. Therapy sessions typically last 45 minutes. The early meetings focus on making sure the working relationship fits and on agreeing priorities together. Clare aims to keep sessions straightforward, using clear language and realistic steps rather than jargon. People come to Clare for a range of difficulties including depression, compassion fatigue, attachment concerns, body image and fertility-related stress. She supports explorations of family of origin themes, divorce and blended family adjustments, and the emotional impact of ageing and bereavement.

Therapeutic approaches you can use online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them, and then take small steps toward what matters. It suits issues like anxiety, stress and low mood when values-based action is needed. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people understand and change difficult relationship habits. It can be useful for intimacy issues, attachment concerns and repeated relationship problems. Finding the right approach is part of the work. Clare will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and then suggest which methods to try. This is a collaborative process and the plan can be adjusted as progress is made. Online therapy gives practical flexibility for people with busy lives. Video calls let sessions feel close to an in-person meeting, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be used for quicker check-ins, and text-based messaging helps maintain contact between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family life or other commitments while still working with a registered or accredited professional.