Paula Appleton, BACP, NCPS
Practical, person-focused counselling for parents and carers
Book with Paula- Years in practice
- 14
- Languages
- English, American Sign Language
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Family conflicts
About Paula
Paula Appleton is a counsellor with 14 years' experience offering practical, person-focused support. She practises in the United Kingdom and uses a blend of approaches to suit each person. Paula works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression and parenting difficulties.
She also supports people dealing with trauma, grief, addictions and life changes. Paula adapts sessions to each person rather than using a single method. She draws on therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based approaches.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to be straightforward and useful, with clear ideas to try between meetings. She has BACP and NCPS credentials and follows professional ethical guidance. Paula works with Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients and can use American Sign Language when helpful.
She also has experience with concerns such as eating and sleeping difficulties, anger, ADHD and compassion fatigue. Practical problems like career decisions, caregiving stress or chronic illness are addressed alongside emotional issues. Paula offers coaching-style work as well as counselling for people who want tools to move forward.
The style is warm, direct and focused on what the client wants to change. International clients can be supported through online formats. To begin, a simple matching process is used so people can schedule sessions that suit their needs and timings.
Paula keeps the work goal-oriented while respecting each person's pace and priorities.
What Paula works with
Everything Paula lists, in their own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Paula helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Paula lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
Approaches that translate well to online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them and to focus on values-based action. It can be useful for anxiety, stress and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours connect and offers practical exercises to change patterns that cause distress. It is often used for depression, anxiety and sleep or eating problems. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people build different ways of relating and feeling safer in relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit best for their goals and circumstances. Over the first sessions she will suggest options and adapt the plan based on what the client prefers and what proves helpful in practice.
Online therapy offers flexibility and a range of ways to take part. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction and visual cues, phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, childcare and other commitments while still working with a registered or accredited professional.
Questions people ask about Paula
What kinds of problems does Paula help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression and trauma. Other areas include parenting concerns, addictions, grief, eating and sleeping problems, ADHD and relationship issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Paula uses a practical, person-centred style and adapts methods to each client. Sessions focus on clear steps and strategies to try between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 14 years of experience working with a broad range of presenting concerns and age groups.
What credentials and location are listed?
Paula holds BACP and NCPS credentials and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and American Sign Language for Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging for remote work.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
What should I do to get started?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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