Debbie Sloan, BACP

Debbie Sloan supports people facing LGBT issues, relationship difficulties, grief, depression and ADHD. She also helps with communication problems, guilt and shame, loneliness, social anxiety, and questions about life purpose. Debbie is named up front to make it clear who the reader would meet.

She practises as an integrative counsellor and holds BACP registration, which means she works within the standards set by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Debbie draws on different ways of working to fit each person’s needs rather than using a single fixed style. Sessions are offered in English and are practical and down to earth.

Debbie describes therapy as a walking-together process. She aims to offer calm, honest conversation and straightforward tools to manage overwhelming feelings. Lots of people come wanting relief from heavy mood, confusing relationships, or a sense of being stuck, and she focuses on small, manageable steps.

Her background includes work in community and private mental health settings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, starting in 2011. That experience has included a wide range of clients and presenting issues over the years. Debbie brings five years of focused therapeutic practice to her current work.

In sessions she tends to be warm and respectful. The approach is collaborative: the person and counsellor decide together what helps most. Practical techniques and open conversation are mixed to suit each person’s goals and day-to-day life.

How therapeutic approaches meet online care

Debbie uses integrative approaches that combine different evidence-based techniques to match what a person needs. One common element is practical problem-solving work that breaks issues into manageable steps and helps with everyday challenges like low mood or relationship friction. Another element is person-centred conversation that focuses on listening, building trust and helping someone make sense of identity, grief or social anxiety.

Choosing an approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and try methods together to see what fits. That means sessions are flexible and can change over time as needs shift, with both counsellor and client deciding the best route forward.

Online therapy brings practical benefits for people with busy lives. Video calls let most of the verbal and visual cues of face-to-face work happen, while phone sessions use less bandwidth and suit shorter check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging can be easier for people who prefer written reflection or need quick, flexible contact. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family or daily routines and to keep continuity when life is unpredictable.