Julie Gates, BACP

Julie Gates is a BACP-accredited counsellor based in the United Kingdom with five years of professional experience supporting adults, young people and families. She works with clients facing stress and anxiety, depression, relationship and family conflicts, low self-esteem and motivation, and the everyday challenges that can block personal growth and wellbeing. Her practice also includes work with parents and carers and with young people aged 9 to 18 who may be struggling with emotional or behavioural concerns.

Julie trained to a Level 4 Diploma in Psychodynamic and Person-Centred Counselling and holds a Level 5 Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People - qualifications that reflect focused training in psychodynamic ideas and in approaches tailored for younger clients. She describes her style as gentle and supportive, placing strong emphasis on building a trusting therapeutic relationship where thoughts and feelings can be explored without judgment.

In sessions Julie often integrates mindfulness and creative strategies to complement talking therapy, helping clients to identify what is holding them back and to develop practical ways of moving forward. She aims to empower people to make lasting changes, offering a compassionate, person-centred space to explore goals, process difficult experiences and find clearer ways to cope with life’s challenges.

Approaches that guide online work and practical support

Julie combines client-centred, psychodynamic and solution-focused ideas to tailor online sessions to each person’s needs. Client-centred therapy places the client at the heart of the process - the therapist provides empathy, acceptance and support to help the person explore feelings and build self-understanding; this approach can be especially helpful for issues like low self-esteem, relationship concerns and general emotional distress.

Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns influence present behaviour and relationships, offering a chance to make meaning of recurring difficulties and to shift long-standing patterns. Solution-focused work concentrates on strengths and small, achievable steps toward change, useful when practical strategies and immediate coping are priorities.

Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. Julie will work with each client to identify goals, preferences and what feels most useful, adapting methods over time so the work stays relevant and effective. Online sessions by video, phone, live chat or messaging make that collaboration flexible - clients can choose the format that fits their schedule and comfort, making therapy more accessible from different locations and life situations.