Laura West, NCPS

Laura West helps people manage stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She also supports people facing big life changes and difficulties such as abandonment, chronic illness and pain, communication problems, divorce and separation, isolation, life purpose questions, narcissistic relationships, post-traumatic stress, and social anxiety.

She trained first as a Registered General Nurse and spent 17 years working in the NHS across two hospitals. During that time she took on specialist nursing roles, including work as a Macmillan Breast Cancer Specialist Practitioner. Those roles involved regular emotional and psychological support for patients and their families and led her to retrain in psychotherapy and counselling.

Laura completed a diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling and is an accredited psychotherapist and counsellor. She is a member of the National Counselling Society, listed with the NCPS credential. Her clinical work draws on psychodynamic ideas alongside a humanistic, client-centred stance.

In sessions she uses an integrated approach. She aims to help people understand patterns from the past, recognise unhelpful thoughts and try practical steps that can ease daily life. She balances deeper reflective work with focused, solution-oriented tasks to meet immediate concerns.

Her manner is steady and practical. She aims to help people reach their own goals and build confidence in coping with life. The emphasis is on small, achievable changes that add up to lasting benefit.

Therapeutic approaches for online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy emphasises a respectful, non-judgemental relationship. The therapist listens closely and helps people find their own answers, which can be useful for building self-esteem and coping with loss.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying practical changes in day-to-day habits. It suits people who want step-by-step strategies for anxiety, low mood or stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, then adapt methods as the relationship develops. That collaborative process helps shape sessions so they meet immediate needs while addressing longer-term patterns.

Online therapy offers practical benefits. Video calls let people see facial cues and mimic face-to-face work, while phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit into a work break. Live chat and text messaging let people check in between sessions or choose a quieter, less intense way to communicate. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around family and work commitments and to keep continuity when life is busy.