Cheryl McCabe, BACP

Cheryl McCabe is a United Kingdom credentialed counsellor with three years of professional counselling experience and three decades of informal support work with people managing mental health challenges. She holds BACP, which denotes membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and reflects her commitment to recognised professional standards. Her manner at work is gentle and curious - she combines warm, interactive conversation with thoughtful silence when reflection is needed, and she is willing to question unhelpful patterns in a supportive way. Cheryl also values a down-to-earth sense of humour, believing it helps keep the therapeutic relationship real and approachable.

Her practice includes work with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, anger, grief and loss, self-esteem, motivation and coping with life changes. She also offers support around trauma and abuse, intimacy-related concerns, ADHD, and a range of family and communication issues. Cheryl sometimes uses creative methods when words alone do not capture a person’s experience, and she is parts-aware - recognising that people can contain many different and sometimes conflicting parts. She works from the principle that the individual is the expert in their own story and aims to walk alongside people as they navigate inner and outer challenges. While outcomes cannot be guaranteed, she has witnessed positive change arising from a strong therapeutic relationship and seeks to make first steps toward therapy as straightforward and welcoming as possible.

Client-Centered Care and Online Support

Client-Centered Therapy is at the heart of Cheryl McCabe's approach. This way of working prioritises empathy, active listening and following the client’s pace so that people feel understood and supported while exploring issues such as stress, anxiety, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, grief and coping with life changes. Cheryl creates space for clients to lead the conversation while she offers reflection, acceptance and gentle challenge where helpful.

She also incorporates creative, experiential ways of working when words are not enough - using nonverbal or imaginative methods to help express and process feelings. These creative options can be useful for people who find it hard to put painful experiences into words or who benefit from exploring different parts of themselves in a more embodied way.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work and Cheryl takes a collaborative stance - she and the client will explore what fits best based on needs, goals and preferences. Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging offers flexible access to that collaboration, making it easier to fit sessions into everyday life and maintain continuity of care even when in-person options are limited.