Gillian McGowan, NCPS

Gillian McGowan welcomes people who are anxious, overwhelmed or struggling with relationship and family stress. She introduces herself simply as Gillian and offers a calm, non-judgemental presence for individual work. Her approach suits anyone who wants a steady, accepting space to talk things through and make small, practical changes.

Gillian brings eight years of counselling experience and a longer background in mental health. She works one-to-one and does not offer couples sessions. Much of her work focuses on how early family messages shape current self-belief and behaviour. She helps people untangle those old narratives and build kinder ways of relating to themselves.

Relationship issues are a central part of Gillian's practice. She supports people facing divorce, infidelity, communication breakdowns, jealousy and other intimacy-related struggles. She also helps with blended family challenges, caregiver stress and the complicated feelings that follow separation or loss.

Common concerns she addresses include anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting strain, low self-esteem and midlife questions about life purpose. Gillian uses a client-centred style that prioritises listening and following the person's pace rather than imposing a set plan.

Clients can expect practical conversations about patterns, choices and small steps that feel doable. Gillian describes her manner as warm, relaxed and flexible, aiming to make difficult topics easier to talk about. She works in English from the United Kingdom and holds the NCPS credential.

How Gillian's approach fits online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy places emphasis on listening, empathy and responding to each person's needs. In practice this means Gillian will follow what matters most to the client, reflecting back what she hears and helping people name feelings and options. This approach helps with anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties and coping with life changes.

Choosing a therapeutic approach is part of the work together. Gillian collaborates with people to find what feels right, adjusting focus and pace as issues evolve. She uses the first sessions to understand goals and preferences and then shapes the ongoing plan with the client rather than imposing a fixed method.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video allows face-to-face conversation; phone can be useful when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and messaging suit shorter check-ins or people who find writing easier than talking. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, parenting and daily life while keeping the focus on practical progress.