Zara Whiteley, BACP

Zara Whiteley is a counsellor practising in the United Kingdom with three years of professional experience and a BACP credential. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety and depression in ways that fit their daily lives. Zara aims to create a respectful and compassionate space so people can start difficult conversations without feeling judged.

She works with relationship and intimacy difficulties, and helps people cope with grief and major life changes. She also supports those dealing with trauma, caregiver strain, compassion fatigue and identity issues linked to LGBT concerns. Practical problems such as communication breakdowns, codependency, infidelity and blended family tensions are also within her scope.

Zara uses mostly conversational, person-centred approaches that let the client lead what feels most important. She draws on existential ideas when people face big life questions, and uses solution-focused techniques to set clear, achievable goals. Motivational interviewing helps when someone wants to make changes but feels unsure where to start.

Sessions are tailored to each person’s needs and paced to match what they can manage. Zara aims for straightforward language and practical steps rather than clinical jargon. She encourages small experiments between sessions so people can try things and report back.

Therapy begins by talking about what matters most to the client and agreeing on simple goals. Zara guides the process with warmth and directness, helping people build skills to cope, reconnect, and move forward.

How Zara’s approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s perspective at the heart of the work. The counsellor listens closely and follows the client’s lead, helping them name feelings and decide what to address. This approach suits people who want a supportive space to talk through emotional strain and relationship concerns.

Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on small, practical steps and clear goals. Sessions identify what is already working and build short experiments to try between meetings. It is useful for stress, communication problems, decision-making and adjustments after life changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Zara will discuss different options and agree a way forward together based on your needs, goals and what feels comfortable. That collaboration means techniques can be adjusted as progress is made.

Online sessions can use video calls, phone conversations, live chat or text messaging to fit different lives. Video allows face-to-face contact when helpful, phone needs less bandwidth and can be used on the move, and messaging suits quick check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving duties and other commitments while keeping the focus on practical, manageable change.