Paul Dent, BACP

Paul Dent helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related problems. He also supports those coping with depression, bipolar symptoms, grief, sleep and eating difficulties, and career or parenting strains. Paul bases his practice in the United Kingdom and works with individuals seeking clearer direction and better day-to-day functioning.

Paul uses a straightforward style in sessions. He starts by listening without judgment and asks questions to understand what matters most to each person. He believes clients know their own lives best and works alongside them to set clear, achievable goals. Progress is checked regularly so the work stays relevant.

His practice draws on several approaches including client-centred listening, cognitive behavioural strategies, existential discussion and motivational interviewing. These methods are used to help people change unhelpful patterns, make meaningful choices and manage distress. For relationship concerns he uses ideas from the Gottman Method to look at communication and interaction patterns.

Paul has twelve years of professional experience and is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. That registration is shown as BACP in his credentials. He offers sessions in English and accepts international clients.

People can expect practical steps and reflective conversation. Sessions focus on small, workable changes alongside exploring larger life questions. The aim is to help people feel more confident making decisions and living in line with what matters to them.

How Paul’s approaches work online

Client-centred therapy is about listening and following the client’s lead. Online sessions using this approach focus on understanding what matters to the client and building on their strengths to make real changes. Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and offers practical exercises to reduce anxiety, manage mood and change unhelpful behaviours. Motivational interviewing helps people weigh up change and find their own reasons to move forward, which can be especially useful for addictions or ambivalence about relationship or lifestyle changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic work. Paul will discuss different methods with the client and decide together which fits their goals and preferences. That collaborative decision can change over time as needs evolve and progress is reviewed.

Online work is offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video lets people use visual cues for deeper conversation, phone can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, travel or caregiving commitments and to keep continuity when life is busy.