Claire Phillips , BACP

Claire Phillips is a counsellor with 10 years of professional experience and is registered with the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She works from a person-centred approach, offering a space where clients can explore difficult thoughts and feelings at their own pace. By acknowledging the complexities within relationships and inner experience, Claire supports people to develop new perspectives and greater emotional openness, which can be instrumental on a path toward ongoing self-discovery and improved well-being.

Her life and work have been shaped by extended periods abroad and at home. Claire lived and worked in South East Asia for over 10 years and has practised in South East London for more than 20 years, which informs a culturally sensitive way of working. Over the past decade she has provided counselling in a range of settings, including NHS surgeries, prisons and drop-in centres, and has worked extensively with children in care homes and with young adults. Many of these cases involved complex presentations such as suicidal ideation, self-harm and drug and alcohol issues.

Claire draws on a strong clinical understanding of the effects of trauma across psychological, cognitive, behavioural and physical domains. She recognises how untreated trauma can contribute to patterns such as substance or alcohol misuse, depression, dissociation, sexual difficulties and social withdrawal. Claire aims to facilitate the healing process by helping clients identify their strengths and resources, and she considers it a privilege to accompany people through challenging changes in their lives.

Approaches in Online Therapy and How They Help

Claire uses client-centred therapy to create a respectful, non-judgemental environment where the client’s perspective guides the process. This approach helps people working through self-esteem issues, grief, relationship concerns and many forms of emotional distress by focusing on empathy and the client’s own goals.

Attachment-based therapy is used to explore patterns formed in close relationships and how they influence current behaviour and emotional responses. It can be useful for clients dealing with intimacy-related struggles, abandonment concerns, family complexity and long-standing attachment issues.

Claire also integrates cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques when helpful to identify unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and to build practical coping strategies for anxiety, depression and stress-related problems. The therapist and client work collaboratively to determine which approaches best fit the client’s needs, goals and preferences, adapting the plan over time as progress unfolds.

Online sessions via video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging offer practical flexibility, making it easier for clients to access licensed professionals across different locations and schedules. These options support continuity of care through life changes and can help people engage in therapy in ways that suit their day-to-day commitments.