Summar Ali, BACP

Summar Ali offers calm, direct support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood or major life changes. She speaks plainly and listens closely, helping clients name what is happening and decide what to try next. Her approach suits those seeking practical ways to cope as well as people wanting space to think things through. She has 11 years' experience working across health and community settings. That includes child and adolescent mental health services in the NHS, school counselling, drug and alcohol services, bereavement work and sexual trauma support with a local charity. She has also lectured at the University of Southampton and the Anna Freud Centre and delivers animal-assisted therapy when not working online. Summar trained with a Bachelor of Arts in Counselling and Psychotherapy and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence Based Interventions for Children and Young People. She also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Supervisory Skills, a Higher Education Certificate in Academic Practice and HE Fellowship status. Additional continuing professional development includes courses in the neurobiology of trauma. In sessions she draws on a range of practical methods to help people manage symptoms and build skills. She uses cognitive behavioural tools to spot patterns of thinking, acceptance and commitment ideas to clarify values, and attachment-informed ways of looking at relationships. Dialectical skills and client-centred listening are also part of her work. Clients can expect a blend of practical exercises and reflective conversation. Summar aims to make therapy straightforward and useful, focusing on small, manageable steps that fit into everyday life.

How Summar uses therapeutic approaches online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns in thinking and behaviour and trying small experiments to shift them, which often helps with anxiety, sleep and low mood. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns influence current connections and can help when relationship difficulties or attachment issues cause distress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and together they will try methods that fit the situation. That collaborative process means approaches can be adapted as needs change over time.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions around work or family life and making it easier to keep regular appointments. Online work also allows the therapist to use worksheets, breathing and grounding exercises during sessions and to set homework between meetings. Please confirm the current session options before booking so you know which formats are available.