Paula Bantick-Ward, BACP

Paula Bantick-Ward is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom who aims to make counselling accessible and affordable. She has eight years' experience and works with people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, relationship strain, grief and other life challenges. Paula is a BACP member, which she notes guides her professional practice.

Paula uses a person-centred stance in sessions, which means she listens without judgement and tries to understand each person's experience. She focuses on being genuine and empathic, giving clients space to find their own voice and sense of direction. Sessions are non-directive when that suits the client's needs.

She also draws on a mixture of other approaches depending on what a person prefers. That can include cognitive behavioural techniques to look at thinking patterns, acceptance-based ideas to build tolerance for difficult feelings, and emotionally focused work for relationship concerns. Creative options such as metaphor, journaling or creative writing may be suggested when helpful.

Paula mentions she offers online and telephone sessions and works within the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy ethical framework. She attends clinical supervision and carries insurance for her practice.

This counsellor commonly supports people living with health challenges and other complex life stressors, helping them to make sense of feelings and find practical steps forward. People can expect a calm, non-judgemental space to talk through what matters to them.

How her approaches translate to online counselling

Paula works from a person-centred base and draws on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings, and then choose actions that align with what matters to them; it can help with anxiety, stress and chronic life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and offers practical strategies to change unhelpful patterns, which can be useful for depression, anxiety and coping with tough situations.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Paula will talk with you about your needs, goals and preferences and together you can decide which methods to try. This collaborative approach means techniques can be adjusted over time as you discover what helps most.

The biography confirms she offers online and telephone sessions, so check the exact options before booking to be sure they suit you. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, avoid travel time and continue therapy while managing health or family commitments. Telephone sessions can be useful when a shorter check-in is needed or when video is not convenient. Registered or accredited professionals like Paula can adapt exercises, creative writing and CBT tasks to work well across distance.