Joanne Harratt, BACP

Joanne Harratt offers a calm, nonjudgemental space where people can explore difficult thoughts and emotions and begin to make sense of the patterns that shape their lives. With ten years of experience, she works in a client-led way, helping individuals reflect on present and past experiences so they can develop greater self-understanding and make changes that feel right for them.

She believes counselling provides dedicated time to be heard and to examine why certain feelings or reactions recur, enabling personal growth and new choices. Her approach is adaptable to each person’s needs and priorities, and she aims to listen attentively rather than to dictate solutions.

Joanne’s formal training includes a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body and a Certificate of Higher Education in Psychodynamic Counselling from the University of Leicester. She has completed additional trainings such as Complicated Grief (2019), Transactional Analysis (2019), Solution Focused Therapy (2019), Hearing Voices (2018) and courses on anger management, attachment theory and working with survivors of sexualised trauma.

Her voluntary experience includes more than three years supporting a charity for women with complex needs, including survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and volunteering with a charity for male victims of rape and sexual abuse. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the United Kingdom.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Joanne uses a blend of well-established approaches to tailor support to each person’s needs. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating an accepting, empathetic space in which the client’s own values and insights guide change - it is often helpful for building self-esteem, coping with life changes and managing stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps people identify and work with core emotions and patterns in close relationships, making it useful for relationship difficulties, attachment concerns and intimacy-related issues. Psychodynamic Therapy explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns influence current behaviour and feelings, offering a route to greater self-awareness and understanding for issues such as recurring relationship patterns or unresolved grief.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Joanne works collaboratively with clients to identify which methods feel most helpful based on their goals, preferences and life context. She adapts her way of working over time as needs evolve.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility, allowing clients to meet by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, access support from home or other convenient locations, and maintain continuity of care even when schedules or circumstances change. Licensed professionals and therapists can provide effective therapeutic work through these formats, and Joanne helps clients choose the mode that best supports their engagement and progress.