Erica Ruse Whalley, BACP

Erica Ruse Whalley offers compassionate, practical support for people navigating anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family difficulties, and adoption-related challenges. She creates a warm, supportive space with the person at the centre of the work, helping clients choose the ways of working that feel most comfortable and effective for them.

Erica is a fully qualified and accredited counsellor with 14 years of experience and holds BACP accreditation - accreditation from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her background includes particular experience in supporting people with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, relationship issues, family problems and adoption matters.

She works in an integrative way, drawing on a blend of theories and techniques tailored to each individual. Her practice may include person-centered approaches that prioritise the client’s perspective, solution-focused techniques to build practical steps forward, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies, the Emotional Freedom Technique when appropriate, and creative methods if these suit the client’s preferences.

Erica welcomes a conversation about how she can help and is happy to discuss the most suitable way to begin work together.

Therapeutic approaches for online support and connection

Erica brings together several practical approaches to support emotional wellbeing. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on understanding patterns of relating developed in early relationships and how they influence present connections; it can be helpful for people struggling with trust, attachment issues, abandonment or intimacy-related concerns. Client-Centered Therapy prioritises the client’s experience and works at the client’s pace, offering empathetic, non-directive support that suits a wide range of difficulties including anxiety, depression and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers structured, skills-based techniques to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop alternative ways of coping, which can be useful for anxiety, low mood and stress.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Erica works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, goals and preferences and to adapt techniques so they fit the individual. This shared planning helps determine which methods will be most useful as therapy progresses.

Online therapy with Erica uses flexible formats - video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging - so people can access support from home or elsewhere. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and daily life while maintaining continuity of care with registered professionals and experienced therapists.