Chris Orton , BACP

Chris Orton recognizes that parts of life can become deeply challenging and at times overwhelming. He emphasizes the courage involved in facing those difficulties and works with people to understand the thoughts, feelings and patterns that contribute to their distress. Through careful self-exploration within a supportive therapeutic relationship, he helps people gain insight that can lead to new, healthier ways of living.

Chris places strong trust in the client-therapist relationship as the engine for change. He believes people have an inherent capacity to use that relationship to expand their understanding of themselves within the context of their unique life circumstances. Increased self-awareness, he suggests, can lead to meaningful change, greater self-acceptance and more personally fulfilling choices.

In sessions he aims to be fully present and to empathically walk alongside people in their distress while encouraging a holistic exploration of emotions, thoughts and behaviours. He recognises that causes of emotional difficulty are often both internal and shaped by wider social forces, and he supports clients in adapting their relationship to those external pressures when direct change of the source is not possible.

Chris trained and qualified at postgraduate level in Counselling and Psychotherapy and is registered in the UK with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). Before private practice he worked in a university counselling service, offering therapy to a diverse student and client population. His therapeutic approach is integrative, drawing on humanistic, person-centred, experiential, existential and phenomenological ideas, and he has a research interest in cross-cultural therapy.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Chris Orton uses client-centred therapy to create a respectful, non-judgemental space where the client’s experience leads the way. This approach focuses on empathy, acceptance and understanding, helping people explore self-worth, relationship difficulties, anxiety and depression by building on their own resources and insights.

He also draws on existential therapy, which helps people examine life meaning, values, choice and responsibility. This approach can be useful for those wrestling with life transitions, feelings of emptiness, identity questions or the search for purpose, supporting them to make choices that align with their values.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work itself. Chris collaborates with each person to identify which methods best fit their needs, goals and preferences, and adjusts the focus as the relationship and the work evolve. The process is guided by the client’s pace and priorities, with the therapist offering professional support and companionship.

Online therapy with Chris is available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These options make it easier for people to access therapy from varied locations, maintain continuity during life changes and choose a format that feels most comfortable for them.