Find a counsellor

Barbara Engels, BACP

Based in the UK Online sessions

Relationship and parenting counsellor

Book with Barbara
Years in practice
18
Registration
BACP
Languages
English, German
Focus
Relationship issues
Focus
Family conflicts
Focus
Self esteem
About

About Barbara

Barbara Engels is a counsellor who uses attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas to help people navigate relationship and parenting challenges. She holds BACP registration and brings 18 years of experience working with relationship, family and parenting concerns. Sessions are available in English and German to suit the client's preference.

She focuses on everyday problems such as stress, anxiety and low self-esteem. She also helps with grief, trauma, intimacy-related issues and life changes.

Background and approach

Career questions, workplace strain and questions about purpose are part of her work too. Barbara has a long background with relationship counselling services and an autism-specialist charity. That experience informs how she talks about communication problems, attachment issues and the practical strain many people feel at home and at work.

She aims to adapt conversations to each person's needs. Her approach looks at how past experiences shape current reactions. That can clarify why patterns repeat and suggest different ways to respond.

Sessions blend talking about feelings with practical steps to try between meetings. Barbara describes her role as supportive and empowering. She works with clients to set clear, realistic goals and adjusts pace to what each person can manage.

The aim is steady progress towards better relationships and a clearer sense of self.

Focus areas and approaches

What Barbara works with

Everything Barbara lists, in their own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Barbara helps people with.

Approaches Barbara lists

Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.

Online support

How attachment and psychodynamic work translate online

Attachment-based work looks at how close relationships shape feelings and reactions. Online sessions use conversation to uncover attachment patterns and to try new ways of relating that can ease tension at home and in relationships.

Psychodynamic approaches focus on how past experiences influence present behaviour and emotions. Over video or phone, this can help identify repeating patterns and bring clearer choices about how to respond in stressful situations.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work with the client to choose methods that fit their needs, goals and pace. That collaborative planning means sessions can change as progress is made or new issues arise.

Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls are useful for a full conversation with visual cues. Phone sessions work well when internet bandwidth is limited or a quieter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging suit shorter check-ins, ongoing coaching or times when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, childcare and travel.
Questions

Questions people ask about Barbara

What kinds of concerns does Barbara help with?

She helps people with relationship and family problems, parenting worries, self-esteem, anxiety, stress and grief. Other areas include intimacy issues, trauma and workplace difficulties.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her work combines attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas to look at how past patterns affect today's relationships. Sessions include talking through feelings and finding practical steps to try between meetings.

What experience does she bring to sessions?

Barbara has 18 years of professional experience, including time with a relationship counselling service and an autism-specialist charity. That background informs how she approaches communication and parenting concerns.

Where is she based and what credential does she hold?

She practises in the United Kingdom and holds BACP registration as listed in her credentials.

Can I work with her in other languages or from abroad?

Sessions are offered in English and German. She also accepts international clients, so distance is not a barrier to contact.

Which session formats are available online?

Barbara offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Fees vary with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

What are the first steps to begin working with her?

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

More counsellors who work with self esteem

See all of them

4 years in practice

Supportive humanistic counsellor for life changes

  • Relationship
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Grief

Stefan Mihailov

BACP, NCPS

4 years in practice English, Romanian

Supportive counsellor for parenting and life changes

  • Relationship
  • Family
  • Depression