Alison Burgess, BACP

Approaches that guide online counselling

Alison uses Client-Centred Therapy to place the person at the heart of sessions, focusing on empathic listening and understanding what matters most to the individual. This approach helps when someone needs to be heard and to rebuild self-trust.

She also applies Solution-Focused Therapy which looks for small, practical steps that lead to real change. That method is useful for tackling stress, sleep issues, or work and career decisions where clear goals help progress.

Internal Family Systems is used to understand different parts of a person that react under pressure, such as inner critics or fearful parts. Working with those parts can reduce shame, anger and repeated patterns that cause distress.

Alison treats finding the right approach as a joint process. She will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they choose which methods to try and adjust them over time based on what feels most helpful.

Online sessions come in formats to suit everyday life: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions for lower bandwidth or when a camera is not wanted, and live chat or text-based messaging for shorter check-ins or when typing feels easier. These options offer flexibility to fit sessions around work, family and travel commitments while keeping the focus on steady, practical progress.