Justin Dowdall, BACP

Justin Dowdall is a counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain and midlife questions. He works with clients dealing with low self‑esteem, depression, ADHD and career or parenting pressures. He writes in plain terms and aims to make the first steps into therapy straightforward and practical.

He brings 11 years of experience and holds BACP registration, and uses a mix of talking and practical techniques. Sessions focus on the person's goals and on building trust, empathy and respect. The emphasis is on understanding current thoughts and feelings and on finding manageable ways to move forward.

Justin uses cognitive approaches to look at thought patterns and how they affect behaviour, combined with emotionally focused work to understand how emotions are felt and shown. He also draws on mindfulness and solution‑focused ideas to break unhelpful loops and try simple, testable changes in daily life.

In sessions he will help people notice patterns, practise new responses and set small achievable steps. Conversations are collaborative - the client and counsellor decide what to try next. This practical tone aims to make progress feel realistic rather than overwhelming.

People often come for help after a big life change, during a midlife re-evaluation, or when anxiety and low mood start to interfere with day to day life. Justin encourages clarity about priorities and steady, manageable change over time.

Approaches that translate well to remote counselling

Justin commonly uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help people spot unhelpful thought patterns and try practical experiments to change behaviour. CBT is often useful for anxiety, low mood and stress when someone wants clear steps to try between sessions.

He also draws on Emotionally‑Focused Therapy (EFT) which concentrates on understanding feelings and how they are expressed in relationships or within oneself. EFT can help when emotions feel overwhelming or when a person wants to change how they respond to strong feelings.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The counsellor will work together with the client to see which methods feel helpful and to adapt those methods as needs and goals change. That conversation happens early on and continues as progress is reviewed.

Practical online therapy benefits include fitting sessions more easily into a busy week and keeping momentum between appointments. If you prefer shorter check‑ins or need to avoid being on camera, mention this when you match and scheduling can reflect those preferences. Confirm the exact session formats available before booking so you know how meetings will be run.