Matt Lightfoot, NCPS

Matt Lightfoot offers a person-centred way of working that focuses on the person's own experience. He creates a calm, non-judgemental space where people can talk about what matters to them and start to make changes. Matt's approach aims to put the client in control of the conversation rather than directing it for them.

Matt is registered with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society - NCPS. He brings four years of professional experience alongside many years of personal therapy as part of his training. This background gives him an understanding of what it feels like to be on the receiving end of counselling.

In sessions he listens closely and reflects what he hears to help people make sense of their thoughts and feelings. He also draws on existential ideas to help people explore meaning, values and the choices they face in life. That combination can be useful for stress, anxiety, grief and for people questioning identity or direction.

Matt works with a wide range of difficulties including depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting concerns, trauma and abuse, bipolar, ADHD and challenges around body image and sexuality. He also supports people dealing with career pressures, compassion fatigue and life transitions.

People can expect straightforward, down-to-earth conversation rather than clinical jargon. Sessions aim to help individuals notice their own strengths, try new ways of coping and make practical changes that suit their life.

How person-centred and existential approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening closely and reflecting back what the person says. It gives people space to lead the session and make sense of their own experience, which can help with anxiety, low self-esteem and relationship strain. Existential Therapy looks at meaning, values and life choices. It supports people who feel stuck, empty or unsure about their identity and direction in life.

Finding the right approach is part of the work itself. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, needs and preferences and together they will decide which ideas and ways of working to use. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions to what actually helps the person day to day.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can suit quieter check-ins or lower bandwidth, live chat is useful for shorter reflections and text messaging supports ongoing, brief contact between sessions. These options make it easier to fit counselling around work, family and other commitments while still maintaining regular therapeutic contact.