Michelle Emsley, BACP

Michelle Emsley helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief or depression. She is approachable and straightforward, and she supports adults trying to cope with life changes and difficult emotions. Michelle is based in the United Kingdom and has seven years of professional experience. She holds BACP accreditation, which is shown as BACP. Michelle works in a way that treats the person as the expert in their own life. Sessions aim to build on strengths and practical steps rather than labels. She listens, reflects and helps people spot patterns that make life harder, then looks for small changes that bring relief. Her practice uses a mix of approaches to suit each person. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps identify unhelpful thoughts and change behaviours. Client-Centred work focuses on supporting people in the here and now while they talk through what matters most to them. Michelle also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Solution-Focused techniques when these fit a person's goals. These approaches can help with coping, making values-based choices, and finding clearer, short-term steps forward. People come to her for a range of concerns beyond stress and anxiety, including relationship strain, grief, body image, caregiving stress, chronic illness, addiction issues and family of origin difficulties. Sessions are tailored to what each person needs and paced to their comfort. She aims to be a steady companion through change and to help people reach clearer, more manageable ways of living. Michelle offers video, phone, live chat and text-based sessions to suit different routines and preferences.

Therapeutic approaches in an online setting

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then focus on actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression and coping with health or life changes.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Sessions aim to identify unhelpful thought patterns and try practical alternatives to improve day-to-day coping.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and choose or combine methods together. This collaborative process means the plan can change as needs become clearer.

Online sessions provide practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when seeing each other matters. Phone sessions can fit a short break at work or be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging let people check in between longer sessions or use written reflection when that feels more accessible. These options help make therapy fit into real life and different routines.