Peter Spanton, BACP

Peter Spanton works with people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma, depression, relationship difficulties and anger. He introduces a calm, non-judgemental space where someone can talk about painful thoughts and difficult feelings. Peter names himself in the first paragraph so readers know who they would meet.

Peter has five years of professional experience and is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. He draws on two main approaches - cognitive behavioural ideas to spot unhelpful thinking and psychodynamic ideas to look at patterns that repeat over time. Sessions are practical and conversational rather than formal or clinical.

He also brings experience from the business world. Years in restaurants and running a drinks company showed him how work stress can affect mood, sleep and relationships. That background helps him relate to practical pressures alongside emotional concerns.

Peter supports people dealing with addictions including drug and alcohol issues, process addictions such as gambling or pornography, and sex addiction. He also addresses feelings of emptiness, guilt, shame, impulsivity and isolation. He treats the presenting problem alongside the life factors that feed it.

Sessions are offered in English and can be held by video, phone, live chat or text messaging. Therapy is arranged through a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, a short matching questionnaire is completed and a session scheduled according to availability.

Approaches used online and how they help

Peter uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving. CBT can be useful for anxiety, low mood and many addiction-related patterns because it gives practical steps to try between sessions.

He also draws on Psychodynamic Therapy, which looks at recurring relationship and emotional patterns that developed over time. This approach helps when someone wants to understand deeper causes of emptiness, shame or difficulty managing anger.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. Peter will discuss goals and preferences and adapt methods as therapy progresses. Together the therapist and client decide whether more structured CBT work, psychodynamic reflection, or a mix suits the problem and the person's pace.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how sessions happen. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging can suit brief check-ins or people who prefer writing. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and travel and help maintain continuity when life is busy.