- Attachment-based approach
- Client-centred care
- CBT techniques
About Paula
Paula Otley is a counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). She has 16 years of experience working with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression and relationship concerns, and lists blended family issues among her focus areas.
Paula began supporting people through bereavement as a volunteer. That work shaped her decision to train as an integrative counsellor. Her training emphasises person-centred and psychodynamic approaches, and she later added cognitive behavioural techniques to her practice in 2020.
Paula uses a relational style that aims to build a dependable therapeutic relationship. Sessions typically involve talking through current problems, looking at patterns that keep difficulties going, and testing small changes to daily routines and thinking. She draws on attachment ideas to understand close relationships and on CBT methods for practical coping skills.
Her background includes work in GP settings, the NHS, charities, community counselling services, private practice and employee assistance programmes. That variety means she is used to short-term focused work as well as longer conversations when people prefer them.
People who come to Paula bring everyday concerns such as parenting strain, loyalty conflicts in stephouseholds, grief after loss, or the stress of life changes. She asks questions, offers reflections, and works collaboratively to find what helps in ordinary life.
How Paula’s approaches work online
Paula combines attachment-based ideas, client-centred listening and practical CBT techniques to work with relationship and everyday stress. Attachment-based work looks at how early bonds affect current close relationships and can help when loyalties and roles shift in a stephousehold. Client-centred work is about being heard and understood, with the counsellor reflecting what matters to the client so they can make sense of their situation. Cognitive behavioural therapy offers straightforward tools to change unhelpful thinking and to try small behavioural experiments that can reduce anxiety and improve sleep.Choosing the right blend of approaches is part of the work. Paula will discuss goals and preferences at the start and adapt methods as the sessions progress. That means the plan can change if a different focus or technique seems more useful for the person's circumstances.
Please confirm which session formats are offered before booking, as the biography did not list specific options. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce commuting. Registered or accredited professionals often find remote sessions useful for keeping continuity of care while juggling family and work commitments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Paula works with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship worries and many family-related issues including blended family challenges.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is relational and person-centred, combining reflective listening with practical strategies from cognitive behavioural approaches.
How much experience does she have?
She has 16 years of experience, including voluntary bereavement support and roles in NHS, GP, charity and private practice settings.
What credentials and base does she have?
She is registered with the BACP and NCPS and works from the United Kingdom.
Can I see her if I live outside the UK?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats were not specified in the biography.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is for adults and is not emergency care, mediation or legal advice. If you or a child are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.