Paula Bantick-Ward, BACP

Paula Bantick-Ward is a counsellor with eight years of experience based in the United Kingdom. She aims to make counselling accessible and practical for people facing life's pressures. Paula focuses on helping individuals talk through feelings and find clearer ways to cope.

Paula works in a person-centred way, offering a genuine, non-judgemental space where clients set the pace. She listens for what matters to each person and reflects that understanding back so clients can find their own voice and make choices that suit them.

Sessions may include gentle creative techniques such as metaphor, journaling, or creative writing when that fits the client. Paula also draws on ideas from cognitive behavioural approaches and solution-focused work to support practical change and clearer thinking.

She helps people with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, addictions, self-esteem, eating and anger. Paula also supports those navigating life transitions, caregiving strain, attachment and abandonment concerns, and the impact of illness or bereavement.

Paula is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, abbreviated as BACP. Her practice includes online and telephone sessions and all work is overseen through clinical supervision. She aims to offer counselling that fits around busy lives and practical needs.

How Paula’s approaches work online

Paula uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centred methods to guide online work. ACT focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that match their values, which can help with anxiety, low mood and life transitions. Client-Centred counselling offers a warm, non-judgemental space where the focus is on the client's experience and pace, useful when someone needs to be heard and understood.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. Paula will talk with the client about goals, what feels useful, and try ideas together. She adapts sessions over time so the work reflects each person's needs and preferences rather than applying one fixed method.

Online therapy offers flexibility and practical options. Video calls let people use visual connection for deeper conversation. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or when someone wants to avoid being on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging make it possible to check in between calls, fit sessions into a busy day, or use shorter check-ins during a work break. Registered or accredited professionals can deliver the same therapeutic approaches online, making counselling more accessible for different schedules and lifestyles.