Joanne Ruff, BACP

Joanne Ruff works with people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She has 15 years of experience and is registered with the BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Joanne aims to make therapy feel straightforward and calm. She creates an open space where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgement. Sessions focus on what matters most to the client and on small steps that help life feel more manageable. Her approach is grounded in attachment-based and client-centred work. That means listening carefully to how relationships and past experiences shape current feelings, and tailoring conversations around each person’s needs. She also uses Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a method some people find helpful when dealing with traumatic memories. Joanne has supported people through bereavement, abandonment issues, chronic illness and care-related stress. She also works with concerns such as body image, communication problems, dependency and difficulties linked to personality and attachment patterns. People who come to Joanne often want steady, practical help rather than quick fixes. She supports them to build coping strategies, explore difficult feelings and regain confidence over time. To begin, clients follow the site process to match and schedule sessions according to availability.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Joanne uses attachment-based work to look at how early and current relationships shape feelings and reactions. This approach focuses on understanding connection patterns and how they affect stress, anxiety and relationship difficulties.

She also works in a client-centred way, meaning sessions follow the client’s pace and priorities. The counsellor listens and reflects, helping people name emotions and decide what changes they want to try.

In addition, she offers Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), a method that some people use to process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional intensity.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Joanne will discuss what feels most helpful and adapt methods to the client’s goals and preferences in a collaborative way.

If you are considering online sessions, check the current session options before booking since the biography does not list formats. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments around work, reduce travel time and let people meet from familiar surroundings. It can also make shorter check-ins or phone-based conversations simple when that suits someone better.