Keely Strange, BACP

Keely Strange works across the disability sector at several UK universities, providing one-to-one support to help students balance study and everyday life. She supports a wide range of barriers to learning and day-to-day functioning, including depression, anxiety, PTSD and ADHD, and has delivered this support remotely by telephone, Skype and Zoom.

Alongside her university roles, Keely maintains a private practice offering one-to-one counselling. Her approach is warm and non-judgemental, designed to give people space to explore difficult feelings and emotions. In her employed welfare duties she also supports colleagues with brief check-ins and more in-depth conversations, aiming to help people understand and manage their emotions and behaviour so they can increase self-awareness and improve their work and home lives.

Keely is committed to clear boundaries through contractual agreements and values the measurable progress she has observed in clients - growth, greater resilience and positive change. She has particular experience working with students who face anxiety, panic, ADHD, autism and other mental and physical health challenges as they pursue degrees, masters and doctorates. Her long experience as a telephone counsellor has honed her ability to listen and respond with empathy even without visual cues, and she has provided face-to-face, person-centred counselling in clinic settings when needed.

Her wider professional background includes payroll and bookkeeping responsibilities, and case management in addiction services where she used administration, review and solution-focused methods. Keely has worked with a broad spectrum of issues such as relationship difficulties, domestic violence, abuse, self-harm, OCD, anger, loss and grief, helping clients access emotions, build confidence and move toward their goals. Feedback frequently describes her as approachable, calm and easy to talk to. She offers home visits where appropriate and follows safeguarding procedures. Keely is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and is an accredited member of NCPS. She attends regular fortnightly supervision and keeps a flexible schedule. She has accumulated hundreds of counselling hours over several years of practice.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Keely uses client-centred therapy to place the person and their experience at the centre of the work - providing empathy, acceptance and active listening so clients can explore feelings and build self-understanding. This approach is useful for people seeking a collaborative, exploratory space to work through emotional pain, self-esteem issues and relationship concerns.

She also draws on mindfulness therapy, which teaches simple present-moment awareness and attention skills to help reduce reactivity and increase emotional regulation. Mindfulness can be helpful for stress, anxiety and coping with difficult thoughts and sensations.

Solution-focused therapy is used to identify practical steps and small, achievable changes that move clients toward their goals. This forward-looking approach is well suited to people who want targeted strategies for managing specific problems or making life changes.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Keely offers a collaborative discussion to work out what fits each client best, considering their needs, goals and preferences. Online sessions - by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging - make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to access support from different locations. These options allow flexible scheduling, continuity of care and multiple ways to communicate so clients can pick the format that feels most comfortable and practical for them.