Dana Wester, BACP

Dana Wester is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with eight years of practice. She helps people facing midlife concerns alongside stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief, identity and parenting worries. She also supports people dealing with trauma, self-harm thoughts, eating issues, and challenges around sexual identity and self-esteem.

Dana describes herself as an integrative therapist. That means she draws on several ways of working to match what the person needs. Sessions aim to be open and non-judgemental so people can talk about difficult feelings without fear.

In the room she puts the person at the centre of the work and calls for a collaborative approach. She uses person-centred listening alongside tools from cognitive behavioural approaches. Creative methods such as art, play and sand therapy can be introduced when they seem helpful.

She also uses solution-focused conversations and mindfulness practices to help people manage distress day to day. Gestalt ideas may be used to look at present-moment experience and patterns of relating. The mix of approaches is tailored to each person rather than fixed in advance.

Dana’s description emphasises acceptance and practical support. She encourages the small steps that build toward change and offers guidance for coping with life transitions, identity questions and intimacy concerns. If someone is thinking about starting therapy, she encourages that first step and stays focused on what the person wants to achieve.

How Dana’s approaches translate to online therapy

Person-centred work focuses on listening and reflecting what someone says. Online sessions can still provide that space to be heard and to make sense of feelings. Cognitive behavioural techniques break problems into patterns of thought and behaviour and give practical exercises to try between sessions; these exercises can be explained and reviewed remotely.

Creative or experiential methods such as art-based activities and mindfulness can also be used in online sessions. Where appropriate, a therapist may suggest simple drawing or grounding exercises to try during or between meetings to support emotion management and self-awareness.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and life circumstances and then agree on methods to try. This collaborative process helps make sure techniques fit the person’s needs rather than being imposed.

The convenience of online therapy is that it can fit around everyday life. It can make it easier to schedule shorter check-ins, avoid travel time, or continue sessions when life is busy or in flux. Specific session formats were not listed in the profile, so please confirm the available options before booking to ensure they meet your needs.