Claire Purkess, BACP

Claire Purkess is an integrative counsellor who brings three years of professional experience to her work, combining volunteer background and focused practice with a calm, encouraging presence. She began her counselling journey volunteering at Childline and more recently worked with clients at Nexus, supporting people who have experienced sexual trauma and domestic abuse. Her practice is informed by evidence-based therapeutic techniques and shaped around each person she sees, adapting theory to meet individual needs.

Claire offers a warm, steady approach that aims to create a supportive space for exploring stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem concerns, and major life changes. She emphasises collaboration and tailors sessions to the pace and priorities of each client. Claire holds BACP membership, which stands for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, reflecting her professional affiliation and commitment to recognised standards of practice.

Clients can expect a practitioner who values clear, compassionate communication and practical support as they navigate difficult experiences. Claire’s focus is on helping people build coping strategies, process traumatic experiences when needed, and find ways to move forward from loss, overwhelm, or life transitions.

Integrative approaches and flexible online counselling

Claire practices an integrative approach, which means she draws on a range of therapeutic ideas and tailors them to each client’s needs. This way of working helps address problems like anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, and difficulties stemming from trauma or major life changes by combining techniques that fit the person and the issue.

She also uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques, focusing on methods supported by research to reduce distress and build coping skills. These techniques are applied in ways that suit the client’s goals and pace, whether the priority is processing traumatic experiences, managing stress, or adapting to new life circumstances.

Choosing the right therapeutic approach is part of the process and Claire works collaboratively with clients to identify what fits best. She discusses options, adjusts methods over time, and partners with each person to set goals and measure progress.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for this style of work - sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging make it easier to attend regularly, fit counselling into a busy life, and maintain continuity during transitions. These formats allow registered professionals and therapists to provide consistent, flexible support tailored to each client’s circumstances.