Laura West, NCPS

Laura West is a psychotherapist and counsellor with 19 years of NHS nursing experience. She brings a calm, practical approach to common struggles such as stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem and depression. Her background in healthcare shapes how she listens and responds to people in emotional difficulty.

She began her career as a Registered General Nurse and later worked as a Macmillan Breast Cancer Specialist Practitioner. Those roles involved supporting patients through difficult treatment journeys and talking with families about emotional needs. These experiences led her to retrain in psychotherapy and counselling and to gain accreditation as a psychotherapist and counsellor with the National Counselling Society (NCPS).

In sessions she uses a blend of methods rather than one strict model. She draws on client-centred ways of working that focus on the person in the room. She also uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how past patterns affect present feelings. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, and solution-focused techniques are used when practical steps or short-term changes are helpful.

She helps people who are coping with life changes, separation, long-term illness or chronic pain, and those struggling with social anxiety, narcissism-related patterns, or feelings of isolation. Sessions aim to help people increase self-compassion, build confidence and find clearer direction.

Her style is warm and steady, with straightforward conversation and realistic goals. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

How these approaches translate to online work

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person’s own experience and on building a supportive relationship. In practice this means the counsellor listens closely, reflects what they hear and helps people find their own solutions to problems like low self-esteem or grief.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It often uses straightforward techniques and small experiments to reduce anxiety or lift mood, which can work well when someone wants practical tools to manage symptoms.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals and preferences and then suggest methods that seem most helpful. That decision is reviewed and adjusted as therapy progresses so the plan fits the person rather than forcing a single method.

If you are considering online therapy, check which session formats are currently offered before booking. Confirming formats lets you plan how sessions fit around work, childcare and daily life. Online options can make it easier to join from home or between commitments, save travel time and allow shorter check-ins when that suits your schedule. Registered or accredited professionals aim to make online sessions practical and focused so therapy can be folded into ordinary routines.