Kelly Richardson , BACP

Kelly Richardson is a BACP accredited counsellor who supports people navigating stress, anxiety, grief, depression and life transitions, as well as relationship and parenting difficulties. With an approachable, person-centred style she helps clients explore thoughts, feelings and behaviours to find their own solutions and build practical coping strategies. She combines empathy with practical tools to help people regain energy, reduce anxiety and manage work-related or life pressures.

Before training as a counsellor Kelly worked for many years with the police and continues to work extensively with emergency services employees. Her earlier career in health and fitness - working in health clubs and teaching fitness classes - led to a strong interest in wellbeing and a holistic view that mental and physical health are interconnected. She began her counselling training in 2010 and maintains an active commitment to continual professional development through regular training and workshops.

Kelly trained at the University of Hull and Leeds Beckett University and has worked with people affected by loss and bereavement at Cruse Bereavement Care, and with anxiety and depression through an IAPT NHS initiative. She is an affiliate counsellor for several Employee Assistance Programme providers and runs a private practice called A New Horizon. In 2022 she was audited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and passed, and she holds BACP accreditation - recognition that she meets professional standards of knowledge and practice.

Her practice is integrative and predominantly person-centred, offering congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard. She uses techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other approaches to tailor support to each individual, and can work both short term on coping strategies and longer term to explore underlying issues. Kelly offers one-to-one sessions by telephone, video and live chat and is currently accepting clients in the United Kingdom.

Therapeutic approaches and the benefits of online support

Kelly draws on client-centred therapy to create a supportive, non-judgemental space where the client’s perspective guides the work - this approach emphasises empathy, acceptance and helping people find their own solutions, which can be helpful for relationship issues, self-esteem and coping with life changes.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and to develop practical strategies for managing anxiety, low mood and stress - CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and offers tools for short-term symptom relief and behavioural change.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Kelly works together with each person to explore their goals, preferences and the issues they bring, and she tailors techniques from different therapies to suit individual needs rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model.

Online therapy offers flexibility - sessions by video call or phone allow people to fit counselling around work, family and other commitments, while live chat and text-based messaging provide additional options for those who prefer written communication or need more frequent check-ins. These formats make it easier to access regular support from licensed professionals without the need to travel, helping therapy to be more convenient and adaptable to everyday life.