Margaret Wilde, BACP

Margaret Wilde offers a practical, person-centred way of working that draws on several therapeutic approaches. She is a BACP counsellor with eight years' experience and focuses on trauma recovery alongside a wide range of everyday challenges. Margaret uses clear, straightforward language in sessions and aims to help people feel understood and able to make changes.

Before training as a therapeutic counsellor she spent fifteen years in roles supporting people with mental health needs and learning disabilities. That background informs her approach and gives experience of different kinds of emotional and practical difficulties.

Her work is pluralistic - she combines methods from psychodynamic, client-centred and cognitive behavioural approaches, and uses mindfulness and meditation where helpful. Techniques are chosen to suit the person in front of her rather than following a single method.

Margaret creates a non-judgemental space to talk through emotions, relationships, patterns and beliefs. Conversations look at how past experiences influence present choices and reactions, so people can start to try different ways of responding.

She listens closely and feeds back observations to help clients see things from new angles. Over time this can support increased self-awareness, stronger self-esteem and more helpful patterns of behaviour.

Sessions are shaped by the client's preferences, whether they want open exploration, guided work on past experiences, or practical strategies to manage day-to-day problems. Margaret encourages small steps that add up to meaningful change.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people accept difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, stress, low mood and difficulties that come from feeling stuck. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns learned in early relationships and how they affect current feelings and bonds; it can help with abandonment, attachment issues and relationship struggles. Client-Centred Therapy gives the person space to lead sessions while the counsellor offers empathic listening and reflection to help the person find their own answers.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Margaret will collaborate with each person to identify which methods feel most helpful, and adjust the mix as goals and needs evolve. This collaborative process helps shape sessions so they are practical and relevant to everyday life.

Online sessions can take place by video, phone, live chat or text messaging, giving flexibility for different needs. Video sessions are closest to face-to-face and allow visual cues, phone sessions suit shorter check-ins or lower bandwidth, and messaging or live chat can work for quick reflections or people who prefer written conversation. These options make it easier to fit therapy around family life, work and other commitments while still working through the same approaches used in person.