Anne-Marie Bates, BACP

Anne-Marie Bates is an accredited member of the MBACP (Accred) with 12 years of professional counselling experience, bringing practical support to people across a range of life stages and backgrounds. She has worked with both students and staff at a College of Higher Education and has maintained a private practice, meeting clients of different ages and genders and tailoring work to each person’s needs.

Her practice focuses on stress, anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, and depression, and she also addresses concerns such as self-esteem, body image, communication problems, control issues, feelings of emptiness, and forgiveness. Additional areas of focus include guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation and loneliness, questions of life purpose and midlife transition, self-harm, self-love, sexuality, and social anxiety or phobia.

Anne-Marie works in a non-judgmental, respectful and compassionate manner, adapting dialogue and treatment plans to fit individual goals. She draws on Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy to shape her work, and aims to support and empower people as they take the often-difficult first steps toward greater wellbeing. Seeking change takes courage, and she offers steady guidance throughout that journey.

Integrating therapeutic approaches for online support

Anne-Marie Bates draws on Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes empathy, active listening and supporting clients to explore their thoughts and feelings at their own pace. This approach helps people who need a trusting, accepting space to better understand themselves and their relationships.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and reframe unhelpful thinking patterns and develop practical strategies for managing symptoms of anxiety, low mood and stress. CBT can be useful when clients want structured tools and clear steps to address specific difficulties.

Solution-Focused Therapy is another element of her work, focusing on clients’ strengths and small, achievable changes that move them toward their goals. This approach is often helpful when the priority is finding immediate, practical ways to improve day-to-day functioning.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the therapeutic process, and Anne-Marie works collaboratively with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals and preferences. She supports clients in deciding what feels most helpful and adjusts the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy with Anne-Marie is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These options make it easier to access regular support from registered professionals without needing to travel, helping people fit therapy into busy lives.