Barbara Coates, BACP

BACP. Master’s degree. 5 years' professional experience. Barbara Coates is a psychotherapist based in the United Kingdom who works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, depression and addictions. She uses a mix of approaches and says she adapts what she does to suit each person.

Barbara listens and responds without judgement. She aims to help people understand their difficulties and identify strengths. Practical strategies and tools are offered to manage symptoms and to address longer-term patterns that affect daily life.

She describes using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to map links between thoughts, feelings, physical reactions and behaviour so people can make changes. Attachment-based ideas are used to look at how early caregiver relationships affect current connections and emotional responses. The person-centred element focuses on non-judgemental conversation to help people find their own solutions.

Typical work includes stress management, building confidence, emotional regulation, trauma recovery and coping with life changes. She also notes areas such as sleeping problems, anger, career concerns, bipolar experiences, ADHD and compassion fatigue among her focus areas.

Additional interests listed include abandonment, attachment issues, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness and disability, communication problems, family of origin issues, domestic violence, guilt and shame and hoarding. Barbara says she draws on a range of interventions and resources and remains flexible about how to help someone meet their goals.

How her approaches are used in online counselling