Directory entry

Madeleine Heffernan, BACP

Credentials: BACP
Experience: 8 years
Practising in: United Kingdom
Languages: English
Sessions: Online only
Client ages: Adults, 18 and over

Works with Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuse Depression

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Madeleine Heffernan helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, depression and addictive behaviours. She also supports those coping with grief, intimacy issues, eating concerns, parenting strain and work-related stress. Madeleine practises from the United Kingdom and works with people who want a practical, personal approach to change.

Her way of working is flexible and shaped around each person's needs. Sessions include listening, reflection and practical tasks to try between meetings.

Background and approach

Madeleine draws on understanding of past experiences alongside present thoughts and feelings to make sense of difficulties. She combines psychodynamic ideas with cognitive behavioural techniques to look at how early patterns and current thinking interact. Emotionally-focused ideas are used to help people understand and shift painful emotional cycles.

Mindfulness practices and attachment-based perspectives are used to strengthen self-soothing and relationships. Madeleine has eight years' experience and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, which is shown as BACP. She offers sessions by video, phone, live chat and text messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

People who choose her often want a therapist who listens, helps them spot unhelpful patterns and suggests manageable steps to try. Madeleine encourages self-compassion and works alongside clients as they explore change and recovery.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early connections shape current relationships. Online work using this approach looks at patterns in how people form bonds and helps develop more helpful ways of relating.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, identifies unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and tests small changes. In remote sessions this often includes straightforward exercises and homework to practise between meetings for stress, anxiety and mood concerns.

Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people recognise and shift painful emotional cycles. Online sessions use direct listening and guided reflection to name emotions and try new ways of responding in relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and together decide which methods to try. This is a collaborative process and can change over time as different needs emerge.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is useful when visual cues help exploration, phone can suit shorter check-ins or lower bandwidth, and messaging allows brief exchanges or ongoing written work between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to keep up consistent contact with a registered or accredited professional.

What kinds of problems does she help with?

She supports people with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, relationship and family issues, addictions and a wide range of related concerns such as grief, eating issues and parenting strain.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Her style is personal and practical, mixing listening and reflection with tasks to try between sessions. Sessions aim to make sense of feelings and give small steps people can use in daily life.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has eight years of experience working with adults on emotional and relational problems.

What professional credential does she hold and where is she based?

She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, shown as BACP, and practises in the United Kingdom.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

She works with people by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging.

How are sessions charged?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin if I want to work with her?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Most often

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts

Also listed

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 8 years
Registered with: BACP
Languages: English

Contacting Madeleine

Madeleine 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.

Madeleine Heffernan, BACP

Background and approach

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Others working with stress, anxiety