Barbara Coates , BACP

Barbara Coates is an integrative psychotherapist based in the United Kingdom with a Master’s degree and five years of professional experience. She combines multiple psychotherapeutic modalities to tailor her work to each person’s needs, drawing on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Attachment theory, and a person-centred approach to support practical change and emotional healing.

She aims to create an open, safe space where thoughts and feelings can be explored. She listens with empathy and responds with compassion, and clients have described her as kind, understanding, non-judgemental, and easy to talk to. Her practice emphasises identifying strengths, developing coping strategies, and building tools to manage symptoms or address longer-term issues so people can move forward with greater wellbeing.

Barbara works with a wide range of challenges including stress, anxiety and panic, low mood and depression, mood instability, anger, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, relationship and family difficulties, self-esteem and confidence issues, addictions, sleep problems, and coping with life changes. She also supports people with attachment and abandonment concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, communication and commitment difficulties, and other complex emotional issues.

Her support is bespoke and flexible, adapting interventions and therapeutic resources to each client’s unique experience and goals. She follows the ethical guidelines of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and practices in line with UK law. As required by professional practice in the UK, she will break personal nature of sessions if there is a significant risk of harm to the client or others, and clinical supervision is used in a way that does not identify clients.

Therapeutic approaches for online support

Barbara Coates draws on evidence-based methods to guide online therapy in accessible, practical ways. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early bonds influence current relationships and emotional responses; online sessions can help explore attachment patterns and support healthier relating and emotional regulation. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on empathic listening and the client’s own capacity for growth, offering a non-judgemental space where people can discover solutions and build self-understanding. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) examines links between thoughts, feelings, physical reactions, and behaviours to develop concrete strategies for reducing distress and improving everyday functioning.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Barbara works with each person to identify goals, preferences, and practical needs, and together they decide which methods to prioritise or combine so therapy fits the individual’s situation.

Online therapy provides flexibility in how people connect - through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to get support around work, family, or other commitments. These options allow for timely access to licensed professionals and support continuity of care when in-person sessions are not possible.