Sunah Akhtar, BACP

Sunah Akhtar is a counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety and life changes. She uses a calm, practical style aimed at helping clients feel clearer and more able to cope. Sunah speaks English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu and works with people in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Sunah trained and practises with a person-centred outlook, which means she starts by listening to each person’s priorities. She also uses evidence-based tools from cognitive behavioural therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help clients change unhelpful habits and respond differently to difficult thoughts.

Her nine years of experience include work supporting people through transitions, relationship concerns, grief, trauma and addiction-related difficulties. That background shaped a straightforward way of working that blends practical skills with reflective conversation. Sessions focus on what a client wants to change and on small steps that can make a daily difference.

Sunah has delivered emotional support in community settings and online. She is a BACP member, which indicates professional registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.

To start, people complete a short matching questionnaire and can then schedule sessions through the service. Sunah aims to work collaboratively, helping clients set clear goals and choose approaches that fit their situation.

Therapeutic approaches and online working

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then commit to actions that match their values. ACT is often used for anxiety, low mood and coping with life transitions.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments. It is useful for problems like panic attacks, persistent worry and disrupted sleep.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and suggest ways of working that suit those aims. Over early sessions they check what’s helping and adjust methods together.

Online sessions make therapy easier to fit into a busy week. Video calls allow face-to-face work when needed, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be a shorter check-in, and live chat or text messaging lets people keep a regular therapeutic connection between appointments. These options give flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels while keeping the focus on practical steps and progress.