Vanessa Richards, BACP

Vanessa Richards is a counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression and addictions. She also supports those dealing with grief, parenting challenges, career strain, ADHD and coping with life changes. Vanessa aims to offer a steady presence for people who feel overwhelmed or stuck. She trained to integrate different therapeutic ideas and holds a Master’s in integrative counselling and psychotherapy. Vanessa uses a relational approach to build trust and work together on practical steps. Sessions focus on what matters most to the person in front of her, whether that is managing overwhelming feelings or changing unhelpful habits. Before moving into counselling she worked for over seven years as a therapeutic radiographer, supporting people through cancer treatment. She also spent more than two years working in government roles to support survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, so she is familiar with the complex effects of trauma. In practice she draws on client-centred principles alongside cognitive and emotion-focused tools. That means listening closely, reflecting what’s said, and using straightforward strategies to test small changes between sessions. Motivational interviewing and elements of dialectical behaviour therapy can be used to build skills for distress tolerance and better communication. Vanessa has five years of post-qualification counselling experience in both NHS and independent settings. She works in English and accepts international clients; session options should be confirmed before booking.

How Vanessa’s approaches translate to online work

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening closely and reflecting what a person says. It helps people feel heard and make choices that suit their own values. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and actions and offers simple exercises to test different ways of thinking and behaving. This can suit worries, low mood and unhelpful habits. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) offers practical skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance and sharpening communication in tense moments. Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about needs, goals and preferences, and then agree on which methods to try. That choice is collaborative and can be adjusted as therapy progresses. The original profile does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also makes it possible to continue therapy when life circumstances change. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt exercises and materials for remote sessions so that practical skill-building and reflective conversation still take place effectively.