Gillian Cooper, BACP

Gillian Cooper is a licensed therapist based in the United Kingdom with 9 years of professional experience working with adults and young people across organisational and private practice settings. She supports people facing stress and anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, trauma and abuse, grief and bereavement, addiction, changes in sleeping and eating, low self-esteem, panic, sexual problems, and challenges related to parenting, career and life transitions.

Her background includes roles in a trauma organisation for women and young girls, private care, MIND UK and NHS hospital bereavement services. Gillian has also worked as a counselling tutor delivering up to Level 4 qualifications and has supported learners in defining life purpose, career goals, building confidence, structuring routines, improving negotiation skills and developing resilience. She has experience working with neuro-divergent adults and young people, people in crisis, those presenting challenging behaviours and individuals affected by varied abuses and vulnerabilities.

Gillian describes herself as a blend of therapist and counsellor and offers both shorter term, solution-focused work and longer term psychoanalytic exploration. The short-term counselling approach tends to focus on present challenges and practical strategies, while psychoanalytical work explores how past experiences influence current patterns. She is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - the UK professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists.

As an attestation of her Catholic faith, Gillian can incorporate Biblical principles and Christian values into her work when requested, while maintaining an inclusive stance that respects diverse perspectives. Her practice emphasises personalised care, collaborative goal setting and a tailored roadmap to help clients move toward the outcomes they seek.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Therapy Options

Gillian Cooper draws on several established approaches to tailor work to each person’s needs. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape current patterns, helping with relationship difficulties, intimacy issues and attachment-related concerns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an empathic, non-directive stance that supports self-exploration and self-esteem, useful for anxiety, low mood and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and modifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, which can be helpful for stress, anxiety, depression and coping with everyday challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Gillian works collaboratively with clients to determine the best fit based on their needs, goals and preferences. She tailors methods over time so therapy can remain responsive and goal-focused while also allowing deeper exploration when helpful.

Online therapy sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for people balancing work, family and other commitments. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care during life changes, to access support from home and to choose the format that feels most comfortable for the individual. Licensed professionals and therapists can adapt these formats to support practical problem solving as well as longer term therapeutic work.