Petina Walker, BACP

Petina Walker trained as a counsellor in 2008 and has built a long career working in addictions services and independent practice. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and has worked as a counsellor, trainer and drugs and alcohol professional for 17 years. Petina is based in the United Kingdom and offers appointments guided by what each person brings to the session.

Her style is practical and client-led. She listens closely and helps people gain clarity about what’s troubling them. Sessions are tailored from week to week using a mix of approaches, chosen to fit the person’s situation and goals.

Petina works with a wide range of issues, including stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and family concerns, grief, trauma and abuse, eating and sleeping difficulties, parenting strain, anger and self-esteem. She also supports people facing major life changes, chronic illness, and compassion fatigue.

Her methods draw on attachment-based ideas, emotionally focused work, client-centred listening, mindfulness techniques and motivational interviewing. She says these tools help people understand patterns, reconnect with important feelings, and make practical changes.

Before focusing on independent practice she ran a wellbeing centre for many years and led groups and treatment programmes within a local drugs and alcohol service. Petina aims to tailor interventions to each person’s needs, and she describes her work as intuitive and solution-focused where appropriate.

How Petina's approaches work in online therapy

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current patterns. In sessions this can mean looking at how people respond when they feel threatened or disconnected and finding gentler ways to connect with themselves and others. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people name and sit with strong emotions so relationships and intimacy can shift; it is useful for people who want to understand cycles that keep them stuck. Client-Centred Therapy emphasises being heard without judgement and helps people explore their own goals at their own pace.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will talk with each person about their needs, goals and preferences and suggest which methods to try. Decisions about what to use are made together and can change as therapy progresses.

Please confirm which session formats are currently offered before booking, as the biography does not list them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into daily life because it reduces travel time, allows appointments during a lunch break or after work and can suit people who prefer not to be on camera. It also supports shorter check-ins and flexible scheduling to match busy routines. Registered or accredited professionals aim to adapt their methods for online sessions so practical and emotional work can continue even when meeting remotely.