Nicola Burgess, BACP

Nicola Burgess offers a person-centred approach to counselling that focuses on the person rather than the problem. She uses simple, direct conversation to help people make sense of painful feelings and find practical ways forward. Nicola names herself in the first paragraph to make introductions easy for a worried reader.

She trained with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Person-Centred Counselling from Derby University and has practised for seven years. During that time she has worked with people facing relationship and family tensions, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, and issues that affect self-esteem and motivation. She also supports people with anxiety, stress, depression and bipolar challenges, and those dealing with addictions or compassion fatigue.

Nicola brings narrative and solution-focused ideas into sessions when they suit a person's goals. That means she helps people tell their stories in clearer ways and try small, practical steps towards change. Conversations are down-to-earth and built around what each person wants to change or understand.

Sessions can tackle specific concerns such as parenting strain, attachment and abandonment issues, body image, codependency, eating or sleeping problems, and intimacy-related worries. Nicola also works with concerns linked to divorce, adoption and foster care, domestic violence, dissociation, and communication or control difficulties.

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to fit different needs. Nicola is based in the United Kingdom and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. To begin, a short matching questionnaire is completed and sessions are scheduled according to availability.

Approaches and online support tailored to your needs

Nicola uses person-centred counselling which focuses on being listened to and understood. This approach helps when someone needs space to talk through emotions, regain motivation or rebuild self-worth.

She also works with narrative therapy, which helps people retell and reframe difficult life stories. That can be useful for trauma, grief, relationship patterns or feeling stuck in unhelpful roles. Solution-focused techniques are used to identify small, practical steps that move a person toward their goals. Those steps are helpful for specific problems like sleep issues, stress management or changing a daily routine.

Finding the right approach is something Nicola does together with each person. She will discuss options in early sessions and tailor work to needs, goals and preferences. The process is collaborative and aims to match methods to what feels most useful.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when a visual connection helps. Phone sessions are a good option when less bandwidth is needed or when hands-free conversation fits a busy day. Live chat and text-based messaging suit shorter check-ins, written reflection and people who prefer typing over speaking.