Valerie Stanley-Brooks, BACP

Valerie Stanley-Brooks works from a person-centred stance that keeps the client's experience at the heart of the work. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and has 25 years of experience supporting people through difficult times.

Her practice focuses on common problems such as stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. She also helps with trauma, grief, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and the everyday pressures of parenting and work. Valerie offers straightforward help with sleeping and eating concerns, anger, and coping with life changes.

Valerie draws on several therapeutic approaches to match each person's needs. These include client-centred methods, cognitive behavioural techniques, psychodynamic thinking, solution-focused strategies and trauma-focused work. She adapts the mix to suit what someone wants to achieve in therapy.

Across her career she has worked in educational, voluntary and therapeutic settings, and with people from varied backgrounds. That experience informs a practical, down-to-earth style in sessions. She uses exercises, discussion and reflective work to help people notice patterns and try new ways of coping.

Sessions include resources and materials to support progress between meetings. Valerie describes the first steps as gentle and collaborative - setting small, realistic goals and reviewing them as therapy progresses. The aim is clearer thinking, better coping and more reliable emotional balance.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Valerie commonly uses client-centred work and cognitive behavioural therapy in online sessions. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and helping people make sense of their feelings at their own pace; it is useful for building trust and exploring emotions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours link together and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it is often used for anxiety, depression and stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. Valerie will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then suggest approaches that fit. That decision is collaborative so methods can be adjusted as the work progresses.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and worked exercises. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Messaging and live chat offer short check-ins or ongoing written support between longer sessions. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit around work, family and travel commitments.