Paula De Souza, BACP

Paula De Souza is a UK-based counsellor who works from a person-centred stance. She is registered with the BACP, and brings four years of professional experience to her practice. Paula helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties and the fallout from trauma and abuse.

Clients also come to her with grief, eating concerns, parenting strain, anger and self-esteem struggles. She supports people with career transitions, bipolar management and coping with life changes. Paula works with issues linked to care responsibilities and compassion fatigue as well.

Her counselling style is calm and attentive. Paula aims to offer a non-judgemental space where people can talk through what matters most. She listens first and responds to the concerns a person brings rather than imposing a rigid plan.

Paula draws mainly on Client-Centred Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy to guide sessions. That means she pays attention to how current difficulties connect with past experience while keeping the person’s goals in view. Sessions focus on understanding feelings, making sense of repeated patterns and finding practical next steps.

She offers sessions by video call, phone, live chat and text messaging. International clients who speak English can access her practice from outside the UK. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions to fit their availability.

Approaches for online counselling and how they help

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening, empathy and valuing the person’s perspective. It helps people who need a space to be heard, to make sense of feelings and to decide their own next steps. Psychodynamic Therapy pays attention to how past relationships and experiences can shape current patterns. It can help when someone keeps repeating the same problems or wants to understand deeper emotional sources.

Deciding which approach to use is a joint process. The therapist will discuss options, explain what each approach involves, and work with the person to choose a way forward that fits their goals and preferences. This collaborative planning is reviewed as therapy progresses so the approach stays relevant to changing needs.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat and text-based messaging to provide practical flexibility. Video calls suit deeper conversations when face-to-face interaction matters. Phone sessions can be useful when video is difficult or for a shorter check-in. Live chat and messaging work well for people who prefer writing or need flexible timing. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, family duties and travel, while keeping continuity over time.