Caroline Robinson, BACP

How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s concerns at the centre of the work. In practice this means the counsellor listens without judgement and follows what the client brings to each session. It helps when someone needs understanding, validation and space to make their own choices.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses straightforward exercises to identify unhelpful thinking and try different responses. This can be useful for anxiety, low mood and sleep or eating difficulties where patterns of thinking keep problems going.

Finding the right approach is a joint process. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals and what feels most useful. Together they decide whether to emphasise person-centred listening, CBT techniques or mindfulness tools and then adapt as progress is made.

Online work offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual cues matter. Phone sessions or live chat suit shorter check-ins or times with lower bandwidth. Text messaging or messaging-based sessions make it easier to fit therapy around work or caring duties and keep a running thread between meetings. Registered and accredited professionals use these options to make therapy easier to attend and to match the format to each client's life.