Claire Austen, NCPS

Claire Austen is a counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression and relationship worries. She also supports those dealing with grief, parenting strain, addictions and self-esteem concerns. Claire works with each person at their own pace and aims to create a calm, respectful space to talk.

Claire draws mainly on a person-centred way of working, which means she follows what matters to each client and helps them find their own answers. She also uses elements of cognitive behavioural therapy, drawing on a diploma in CBT to offer practical strategies and tools to try between sessions.

With five years' experience, Claire has worked with people from a wide range of backgrounds and ages. She describes her approach as warm, empathic and non-judgemental, focusing on helping clients notice and move past the blocks that hold them back. That can include issues tied to attachment, family of origin, communication problems and feelings of emptiness.

Sessions aim to be straightforward and practical when needed, while also making space for deeper reflection. Claire mixes talking, gentle exploration of patterns, and skill-building so clients leave with clearer steps to try in everyday life. She welcomes people who want respectful support to understand difficult feelings and make lasting changes.

Claire is based in the United Kingdom and works in English. If you are thinking about beginning, it can help to prepare a few things you want to focus on so the first session can get straight to work.

How Claire’s approaches work in online therapy

Claire often uses a person-centred framework in her work, which means the counsellor listens closely and follows the client’s lead so sessions focus on what matters most to that person. This approach helps when people want empathetic listening and space to make sense of their feelings.

She also uses cognitive behavioural therapy, offering clear, practical strategies to try between sessions. CBT techniques can help with anxiety, low mood and unhelpful thought patterns by breaking problems into smaller, manageable steps and practising new skills.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic conversation. Claire will work collaboratively to decide whether a person-centred way, CBT strategies, or a blend of methods best suits the client’s goals and preferences. The plan can change over time as needs and priorities evolve.

The practical benefits of online therapy often include fitting sessions into a busy week and avoiding travel time so counselling can be easier to attend. Confirm the current session options before booking, since the biography does not list formats. Claire aims to make sessions useful and manageable so people can try new ways of coping in their everyday life.