Lucy McLaren, BACP

Lucy McLaren offers calm, practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression and life changes. She works in an accepting, non-judgemental way and listens first to understand each person's situation. Her approach is simple and steady - clients talk through what matters most and plan small steps forward.

Lucy has eight years of professional experience and holds BACP registration, which indicates membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She has helped people feeling lonely, grieving losses, or struggling with self-esteem and body image. She also supports those coping with addiction, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related concerns.

Sessions combine client-centred listening with practical cognitive behavioural techniques when useful. That means the focus is on the client's priorities, while also trying specific strategies to reduce worry or change unhelpful patterns. Conversations are paced to the individual and aimed at producing realistic, manageable change.

Lucy also works with issues such as abandonment and attachment, communication and commitment problems, caregiver stress, and difficulties after separation or domestic violence. She is experienced in supporting people through career doubts, parenting strain, and coping with natural or human-caused disasters.

Therapy is offered in English and delivered online by video, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. To begin, a short matching questionnaire helps pair someone with the right professional, after which sessions can be scheduled to fit practical needs.

How Lucy's approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening, empathy and accepting each person's experience. Online sessions using this approach give space for the client to set the agenda while the counsellor reflects and helps clarify what matters most. This style is helpful for those who need to be heard and to make sense of their feelings.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. In online sessions this often involves talking through situations, trying simple exercises, and setting practical tasks to break cycles of anxiety or low mood. It is useful for worry, stress and unhelpful behaviour patterns.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what feels manageable, then try methods that match those needs. This is a collaborative process and can change over time as progress is made.

Online formats used include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and messaging lets someone write between sessions. These options make therapy easier to fit around work, family and daily life.