Joel Burns, NCPS

Joel Burns helps people cope with stress, anxiety, trauma, grief and addiction. He supports those struggling with parenting, relationship and intimacy issues, low self-esteem, sleep or eating concerns, and major life changes. Joel works with mood concerns including depression and bipolar and also addresses career questions, compassion fatigue and men's issues.

Joel uses a calm, non-judgemental style and keeps sessions straightforward. He listens first, then helps people spot patterns that keep causing pain. He encourages practical skills alongside reflection so clients can try things between sessions.

His approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Client-Centred Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Existential ideas. That mix means Joel can focus on thought patterns, values and life purpose as well as emotional experience. He adapts methods to each person rather than following a single formula.

Joel qualified with the NCPS and brings six years of professional clinical experience. He has worked and studied across countries and is comfortable supporting people from diverse backgrounds. Sessions are offered in English and he accepts international clients.

Work with Joel typically covers building coping skills, improving self-awareness and tackling practical problems. He aims to help clients make small, manageable changes and to strengthen their sense of agency. The process is collaborative and paced to the client's needs.

How Joel’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take steps toward those values even when difficult thoughts or feelings appear. It can be useful for anxiety, depression and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on unhelpful thinking patterns and practical strategies to change behaviour and mood, which often suits stress, panic and sleep or eating concerns. Client-Centred Therapy places the person's experience at the heart of sessions and relies on warm, non-judgemental listening to build insight and self-acceptance.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Joel treats this as a collaborative process and will discuss which methods fit a client's goals and preferences. Together they decide whether to focus on values and acceptance, hands-on skills and experiments, or a reflective, person-led conversation, and adjustments are made as progress unfolds.

Online formats used include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and ongoing text-based messaging. Video calls allow a full conversation and visual contact, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for quick check-ins, live chat supports shorter back-and-forths and text messaging suits ongoing check-ins or brief coaching between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, travel or family life while keeping the therapeutic process consistent.