Michael Boulton, BACP

Michael Boulton offers counselling grounded in person-centred and existential approaches. He welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress or low mood. He is approachable and aims to create a calm space where people can be heard and understood.

Michael draws on four years of practical experience to guide conversations at a steady pace. He listens without judgement and focuses on what matters to each person rather than following a rigid script. Sessions aim to help people name feelings, notice patterns and consider small changes that make daily life easier.

People come to him for help with anxiety, panic attacks, depression and stress. He also supports those dealing with trauma and abuse, issues around sexuality and LGBT concerns, and worries about self-esteem. Additional areas he works with include adoption and foster care, dissociation, emptiness, guilt and shame, social anxiety and seasonal affective disorder.

Michael uses Client-Centred Therapy to prioritise the person’s own experience and pace. He also draws on Existential Therapy to look at meaning, values and choices when those questions feel pressing. Together these approaches aim to build self-understanding and stronger self-direction.

Sessions are offered in English and are delivered online by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. Michael is registered with the BACP, and he practises from the United Kingdom. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions according to his availability.

How person-centred and existential work online can help

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person's experience, with the counsellor listening closely and following the pace set by the client. This approach helps when someone needs a non-judgemental space to talk through anxiety, stress, loss or questions about identity. Existential Therapy looks at meaning, values and choice and can be useful when someone feels stuck, empty or is questioning life direction and purpose.

Finding the right approach is a shared task. Michael will discuss aims, try ways of working and adapt based on what feels most helpful. He works collaboratively to identify goals and checks in about progress rather than imposing a single method.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging which makes counselling more flexible. Video calls are close to face-to-face conversations, phone sessions fit into a busy day and use less data, live chat provides a typed back-and-forth for quick check-ins, and messaging lets people reflect between sessions. These options help people fit therapy around work, study or caring responsibilities and make it easier to keep regular contact with a therapist.