Christopher Macdonald, BACP

Christopher Macdonald is a BACP-registered counsellor based in the United Kingdom who draws on a background of practical mental health work to support people through life changes and emotional challenges. With eight years of professional experience, he has worked with adults, teenagers and children in both one-to-one and group settings, bringing an understanding of different life stages to every therapeutic relationship.

His career began in an NHS mental health day centre and continued with roles at the charity Mind, where he used Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) to help clients build personalised coping strategies. Volunteering with Place2Be to counsel children in a primary school further shaped his practice and reinforced the importance of early emotional support. These roles deepened his appreciation for both the impact of adversity and the potential for growth when people are offered the right support.

Christopher’s core training is person-centred, which means he places the individual at the centre of the work and approaches each person with empathy and respect. He now offers online therapy to provide more convenience and flexibility, and he collaborates with clients to identify goals and develop practical strategies to move toward them. BACP refers to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the professional body with which he is registered.

Therapeutic approaches for online sessions

Christopher integrates several evidence-informed approaches into his online practice to meet different needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice and accept difficult thoughts and feelings while identifying personal values to guide meaningful action - it is often helpful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life transitions.

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on empathetic listening and creating a supportive, non-judgemental environment where the client is considered the expert on their own experience - this approach supports self-exploration, self-esteem and relationship issues.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) addresses the connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and offers practical strategies to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties by testing and changing unhelpful patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey. Christopher works collaboratively with each person and with registered professionals as needed to tailor methods to the client’s goals, preferences and current circumstances. This partnership helps identify which approaches are likely to be most useful.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and shorter or more frequent contacts are possible through live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and geographic constraints while maintaining continuity of care.