Counsellor profile
Valerie Stanley-Brooks, BACP
Based in United Kingdom · 25 years of experience
Experienced BACP counsellor for stress and relationships
Continue with ValerieAt a glance
- Registration
- BACP, United Kingdom (179806)
- Qualifications
- BACP
- Experience
- 25 years
- Languages
- English
- Based in
- United Kingdom
Details come from information Valerie supplied to BetterHelp.
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
About Valerie
BACP. Valerie Stanley-Brooks has 25 years of counselling experience and works in the United Kingdom. She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, depression, addictions and relationship and family concerns using approaches she describes as client-centred and drawing on other methods where helpful.
Valerie has practised in education, therapeutic and voluntary settings. She meets people who bring a wide range of life events and difficulties. Sessions focus on talking through current problems, understanding patterns, and planning practical steps to manage symptoms and improve day-to-day coping.
Her practice draws on client-centred therapy alongside cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic ideas to help people understand how thoughts, feelings and past experiences affect present behaviour. She also uses solution-focused and trauma-focused ways of working when that fits the concern.
Valerie supports people with parenting and family dynamics, including blended family issues, adoption and foster care questions, fatherhood concerns and caregiver stress. She also works with issues such as body image, commitment and communication problems, and recovery after domestic violence or separation.
Work may include brief coaching-style conversations, longer-term counselling, or focused trauma work depending on need. She provides materials and resources to complement sessions and to help clients practise skills between meetings.
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted. The counsellor uses a subscription model for payment which can be cancelled at any time; costs vary with location. To begin, select the See online counselling options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How Valerie uses therapeutic approaches in online counselling
Client-centred therapy places the person and their concerns at the heart of sessions. The counsellor listens to the client’s experience and follows the matters the client brings up, helping them to make sense of feelings and choices. This approach is useful for people who want a supportive space to talk through current difficulties.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Work tends to involve identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, trying practical strategies and rehearsing different responses to reduce anxiety, low mood or unhelpful habits.
Trauma-focused therapy addresses the effects of past traumatic events and concentrates on managing distressing memories and their impact on daily life. It can include grounding and coping techniques alongside processing traumatic material when appropriate.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will discuss goals and preferences and agree together what to try first. This collaborative planning means methods can change over time if needed.
If you want online sessions, confirm the session formats available before booking since formats are not stated here. Online counselling can make it easier to fit appointments into busy lives, allow shorter check-in sessions when needed, and reduce travel time so clients can attend from different locations. Registered or accredited professionals can offer online work and will explain practical arrangements when you start.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, depression, addictions and relationship and family concerns among other issues.
What is her counselling style?
She describes a client-centred style and also uses cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic, solution-focused and trauma-focused methods as appropriate.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional counselling experience in educational, therapeutic and voluntary settings.
Is she registered with a professional body?
She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are accepted.
How are sessions arranged and what do they cost?
Sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time and costs vary with location.
How do I start counselling with her?
Select the See online counselling options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Checking a registration
Professional bodies keep public registers. If Valerie lists a membership, you can look it up on that body's own website:
Online counselling is not emergency or medical care. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers