Directory entry

Colleen Downey, BACP

Credentials: BACP
Experience: 6 years
Practising in: United Kingdom
Languages: English
Sessions: Online only
Client ages: Adults, 18 and over

Works with Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseEating disordersDepression

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Colleen Downey is a Psychodynamic counsellor practising in the United Kingdom. She has six years of experience and holds membership with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, listed as BACP. Colleen aims to support people who are carrying heavy feelings and want help making sense of them.

She works at a gentle pace, listening for patterns from the past that affect life now. Sessions focus on how thoughts, memories and close relationships shape everyday reactions.

Background and approach

Colleen encourages people to notice repeated thoughts and feelings and to try small changes that feel manageable. People come to her with a wide range of concerns. These include stress, anxiety and depression, difficulties with relationships and intimacy, trauma and abuse, grief, and struggles with eating and body-related issues.

She also supports people facing parenting strain, compassion fatigue, bipolar mood changes, ADHD-related challenges and coping with life changes. Colleen pays attention to attachment and communication patterns, control and dissociation, and problems such as jealousy, hoarding, or obsessive thoughts and compulsions. She explores how guilt, shame and past hurts affect current choices and behaviour.

Work often includes talking about earlier relationships and how those experiences repeat now. Sessions can involve quieter reflection or more practical conversation about coping strategies. Colleen treats people as experts in their own lives and aims to help them build clearer choices.

The focus is on steady progress rather than quick fixes.

Psychodynamic therapy online and practical access

Psychodynamic Therapy looks at how early relationships and past experiences influence present feelings and behaviour. In short sessions, a counsellor helps a person notice repeating patterns, make links between past and present, and try different ways of responding when old habits appear.

Working online with a psychodynamic focus keeps the same emphasis on understanding patterns, but uses conversation over video, phone, chat or messaging. This approach can be helpful for people dealing with anxiety, relationship issues, depression, trauma-related memories and struggles with self-esteem or eating concerns.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will discuss the person's goals, preferences and practical needs, then shape the work together. This collaborative planning may mean keeping some sessions reflective and longer, and others shorter and more practical.

Online sessions offer clear practical benefits. Video calls let people keep visual contact similar to face-to-face work. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit into a work break. Live chat and text-based messaging suit quick check-ins, shorter reflections or people who prefer typing. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit around daily life.

What kinds of problems does Colleen help with?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, trauma and abuse, eating concerns, grief and parenting strain among other concerns.

How would you describe her therapy style?

Her approach is thoughtful and reflective, focusing on patterns from the past that influence today's feelings and reactions. Sessions balance listening with practical conversation about coping.

What is her professional background?

Colleen has six years of experience working in counselling and psychotherapy and uses Psychodynamic Therapy as her main approach.

Where is she based and what credential does she hold?

She practises in the United Kingdom and is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, shown as BACP.

Can I work with her if I live outside the UK?

Yes, she accepts international clients and runs sessions for people based in other countries.

What session formats are available?

Sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and the therapist's availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Most often

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse

Also listed

Therapeutic approaches

Psychodynamic Therapy

Experience: 6 years
Registered with: BACP
Languages: English

Contacting Colleen

Colleen takes enquiries through BetterHelp. You answer a few questions about what you are looking for, then arrange sessions if it seems like a fit. Browsing costs nothing and you are not committing to anything by reading this page.

Colleen Downey, BACP

Background and approach

Psychodynamic therapy online and practical access

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Others working with stress, anxiety