Profile / United Kingdom
Vanessa Richards, BACP
United Kingdom
BACP counsellor - anxiety and trauma support
See online therapy options- CBT informed work
- Emotion-focused methods
- Practical homework
About Vanessa
Vanessa Richards is a BACP counsellor in the United Kingdom with five years of counselling experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, self-esteem difficulties, addictions and parenting challenges. She also helps with grief, bipolar mood issues, career concerns, ADHD and coping with life changes.
Vanessa uses straightforward, practical work in sessions. She focuses on noticing unhelpful thinking and testing different ways of responding. Sessions often include clear exercises and short experiments to try between meetings. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside client-centred and emotion-focused ways of working.
Her background includes clinical work in the NHS and other settings supporting people with depression, stress and relationship issues. She also spent time supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence while working for government services. That experience informs how she approaches trauma and abuse concerns.
Before counselling work she practised as a therapeutic radiographer treating people with cancer for over seven years. That clinical experience shapes how she talks about illness, caregiver strain and life changes connected to health conditions.
Vanessa holds a Masters in integrative counselling and psychotherapy and is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. In sessions she works relationally, helping people notice patterns, try new responses and check what helps in everyday life.
How her approaches translate to online work
Vanessa commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centred Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in her practice. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying small behavioural experiments to test them, which suits issues like anxiety, low mood and stress. Client-centred work emphasises a relational way of meeting a person and helping them talk through concerns without pressure. DBT offers practical skills for emotional regulation and distress tolerance and can help with strong emotion, impulsive behaviours or patterns like self-criticism.Deciding which approach to use is part of the early work. She will discuss goals, what has helped before and preferences, then agree a plan. That plan can combine elements from different methods and can be reviewed as progress is made so the work stays relevant to day-to-day needs.
Confirm the current session options before booking so you know what formats are available. Online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into work or family schedules, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. Many people find recorded exercises and written between-session tasks helpful to practise new skills between appointments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, self-esteem and addictions alongside many related areas such as grief, parenting and career issues.
How does she approach therapy in sessions?
Her style is practical and structured, emphasising noticing thoughts and testing new responses. She uses short exercises and between-session tasks to build different habits.
What relevant experience does she bring?
She has five years of counselling experience and past roles in the NHS and government support services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
What professional credential and region apply?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She accepts international clients; confirm time zone and scheduling details when arranging sessions.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
What should I do to start working together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.