Paula Appleton, BACP, NCPS

Paula Appleton is a counsellor with 14 years of experience based in the United Kingdom. She uses an integrative approach, blending different therapeutic methods to match each person's situation. Paula works with a wide range of concerns and aims to create a space where people can talk things through at their own pace.

She helps with stress, anxiety and depression, and supports people facing trauma, abuse and grief. Addictions, bipolar mood difficulties, eating and sleeping problems are within her practice. Paula also addresses workplace and career issues, compassion fatigue and the strain many face during life changes.

Paula offers support around relationship and intimacy-related issues, self-esteem, anger and parenting challenges. She works with people dealing with adoption and foster care, abandonment, attachment issues and blended family concerns. Neurodiversity and long-term health worries such as chronic illness and cancer are also part of her focus.

Her ways of working draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas alongside client-centred and dialectical approaches. That mix lets her tailor sessions to what feels most helpful for the individual. Sessions can include practical strategies, emotional processing and problem-focused work.

Paula is experienced in communicating with Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients and uses British Sign Language skills where needed. She offers appointments by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to suit different needs and routines.

To begin, a short matching questionnaire helps pair someone with a suitable schedule and subscription plan, which can be cancelled at any time. Once matched, clients book sessions according to the therapist's availability.

How Paula’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that matter to them. It suits issues like anxiety, grief and coping with life changes where values-led steps and practical experiments can help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and trying out different behaviours to reduce distress and improve daily functioning, which can help with depression, anxiety and sleep problems. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and how early experiences shape current reactions, useful for intimacy issues, abandonment concerns and attachment difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula collaborates with each person to decide which methods to use, adjusting as needs and goals become clearer. The process is shared - assessments, small goals and feedback guide what comes next rather than a fixed plan imposed from the outset.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls let visual cues guide emotional work, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or movement is an issue, and live chat or text messaging suit brief check-ins or slower-paced reflection. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, caring duties and travel, while still allowing for consistent therapeutic continuity with registered or accredited professionals.