Tamsyn Spear, BACP

Tamsyn Spear is an integrative counsellor with 11 years of professional experience in the UK. She builds calm, non-judgemental spaces where people can say what they are struggling with. Her approach puts the person and the therapeutic relationship first. Tamsyn aims to help people feel able to make and sustain change in their lives.

Tamsyn uses a blend of person-centred practice, transactional analysis and Gestalt ideas. She also draws on mindfulness, attachment theory, systemic family practice, creative therapies and brief cognitive behavioural therapy. These ways of working are chosen to match what each person needs and prefers.

Her background includes work across the voluntary sector and the NHS, and roles supporting children and adolescents as well as adults. She has experience supporting parents and carers with the challenges that come from caring for children. That work informs how she talks about family and relationship concerns in sessions.

Tamsyn helps people with stress, anxiety and low mood, and with relationship and family difficulties. She also supports people facing grief, trauma and abuse, addiction issues, anger, and compassion fatigue. Other concerns she works with include self-esteem, motivation and life changes such as separation or midlife shifts.

In sessions she works collaboratively to explore what change would look like and how to get there. People can expect straightforward conversation, practical steps where useful, and space to reflect. Her aim is to help clients feel more confident in handling life’s demands and choices.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Person-centred counselling focuses on listening without judgement and following what matters most to the person. Online this means sessions centre on the client’s priorities and the counsellor reflects and clarifies to help someone make sense of their situation.

Transactional analysis looks at how people relate and communicate, and helps identify unhelpful patterns in interactions. Practically it can support people who want clearer boundaries or better ways of speaking about needs. Brief cognitive behavioural ideas offer simple, practical tools to spot unhelpful thoughts and try small changes that can lift mood or reduce anxiety.

Deciding on the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and day-to-day life, and choose techniques together. That means plans can change as progress is made and new priorities emerge.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is good for a full conversation and non-verbal cues, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins and text messaging is useful for ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make therapy easier to fit around work, family life and other commitments.