Paula Cleary

Paula Cleary is a counsellor who helps people dealing with life changes, relationship strain and the stress that follows separation. She speaks plainly and works alongside clients to make sense of what feels muddled or overwhelming. Paula aims to help people feel lighter and more in control of their next steps.

With 16 years of experience, Paula draws on client-centred work to place each person’s perspective at the heart of sessions. She uses mindfulness tools to help reduce distress in the moment and solution-focused ideas to identify practical next steps. Existential approaches also appear in her practice to help people clarify personal meaning and values.

Paula often supports people facing grief, anxiety, depression, panic and mood difficulties. She also addresses issues such as abandonment, commitment worries, communication problems, control struggles, infidelity and divorce and separation. She works with concerns around intimacy, anger, self-esteem and feelings of emptiness or isolation.

Paula is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. She is based in the United Kingdom and works in English. International clients are accepted through the service.

Therapy with Paula begins by looking gently at what currently feels difficult. Together the client and Paula explore small practical changes and clearer ways of understanding what matters. Sessions aim to leave people with clearer choices and a calmer sense of direction.

How Paula's approaches translate to online counselling

Client-Centred Therapy places the client's experience first and helps build trust and clarity. Online sessions can use this approach to focus on what matters most to the client and to set the pace of discussions. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple techniques to manage anxiety and stress in the moment, such as breathing and grounding exercises that can be practised between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Paula will work collaboratively to decide which methods suit a client's needs, goals and preferences. She will review progress and adapt the mix of approaches as the work unfolds so the plan stays relevant and useful.

The practical benefits of online therapy include greater flexibility for fitting sessions into a busy week and avoiding travel time. It can make regular check-ins easier to keep up and allows people to work on coping strategies from wherever they are. The specific session formats available are not listed in the profile, so confirm current options before booking to ensure they fit your schedule and tech needs.