Maria Pencheva, BACP

Maria Pencheva offers calm, practical support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood, or relationship pain. She keeps sessions straightforward and focused on small changes that make life easier. Maria speaks English and Bulgarian and works with people across the United Kingdom and beyond.

Maria holds BACP accreditation and brings four years of clinical experience to her work. She centres conversations on each person's story and strengths. That means listening first, then helping clients set clear goals they can try between sessions.

Her style is warm and curious. Sessions aim to build emotional regulation, steady self-esteem, and clearer communication. Maria also helps people process difficult past experiences linked to trauma or abuse, and supports those managing panic and social anxiety.

She uses approaches that focus on attachment, emotions, thoughts, and personal meaning to match different needs. In practice this looks like reflective discussion, practical exercises, and ways to test new behaviours in everyday life. Maria pays attention to both problem-solving and discovering what gives life purpose.

People who work with her often focus on improving relationships, handling separation or divorce, and reducing feelings of guilt, shame or isolation. She also offers support around body image, control issues, forgiveness, and rebuilding confidence after hard times. The aim is to leave each session feeling understood and with a simple plan to move forward.

How Maria’s approaches work online

Attachment-based work looks at how early bonds shape current relationships and emotional responses. It helps people who notice patterns in close relationships or who want steadier connection and trust. Client-centred therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person’s experience without judgement. This approach helps people gain clarity and confidence by being met with genuine empathy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings and actions and offers practical exercises to test new behaviours and reduce symptoms like anxiety and panic.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapy journey. The therapist will work collaboratively to figure out which methods feel most helpful. That means trying things, checking in regularly, and adjusting the plan to match goals and preferences.

Online sessions are offered using video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to make counselling more flexible. Video is useful when visual connection helps the work. Phone sessions suit people with limited bandwidth or who prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging can be better for short check-ins, quick emotional support, or fitting therapy into a busy day. These options make it easier to keep continuity of care and to fit therapy around work, travel or family life.