Joanna Cottrell, BACP

Joanna Cottrell is a UK counsellor who focuses on helping people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and midlife concerns. She draws on eight years of professional experience using counselling skills to support people through career worries, relationship strain, depression and shifts in motivation. Joanna aims to make the first step feel manageable and straightforward for someone who is uncertain where to start.

She creates a calm, non-judgemental space where thoughts and feelings can be spoken about openly. Conversations are practical and respectful, with attention to what matters most to the person in front of her. Joanna encourages people to identify small, realistic steps that move them towards clearer goals and steadier routines.

Her approach includes Client-Centred Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, alongside Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused ideas. She also draws on trauma-focused work when past events are getting in the way of present life. These ways of working help with practical problem solving and with understanding patterns that keep someone stuck.

Joanna can help people manage sleep or eating difficulties, cope with grief or losses, and address issues like ADHD, addictions and compassion fatigue. She also supports those facing ageing and caregiver stresses, chronic illness, attachment concerns and body image struggles. She explains options plainly and works with each person to find what fits.

Sessions are offered in English in the United Kingdom. Joanna uses her counselling skills to help people feel steadier and more in control as they make changes and plan next steps.

How Joanna’s approaches translate to online work

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person as they are, helping them to feel heard and to clarify what they want to change. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviours together, aiming to build small experiments and routines that reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels stuck or unsure about change by exploring ambivalence and finding personal reasons to move forward.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Joanna discusses goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t worked before, then adapts methods to match the person’s needs. That way the work feels practical and relevant rather than one-size-fits-all.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm available options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It also supports consistent progress when life feels hectic, by making sessions simpler to attend and by helping people try out new routines between meetings.