Gillian McGowan, NCPS

Gillian McGowan is a counsellor and clinical supervisor who brings depth of experience from a long career in mental health, including eight years in direct counselling and supervisory roles. She specialises in helping people rebuild self-belief by exploring early life narratives and the messages received from caregivers that continue to shape thoughts, feelings and behaviours in adulthood. Her work with relationships spans family dynamics, divorce and separation, affairs and infidelity, communication difficulties, attachment-related concerns, breakups and conflict within friendship groups. She supports individuals coping with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting challenges and major life changes, as well as focused concerns such as blended family issues, caregiver stress, codependency, jealousy, commitment difficulties and questions about life purpose and self-love.

Gillian works exclusively with individuals and does not offer couples therapy. She is described as warm, open, relaxed, flexible and non-judgemental, and prioritises creating an accepting space where people can explore whatever they wish to share. She holds NCPS, a counselling credential that reflects professional training and standards in her field.

Client-Centered Care and Online Support

Client-Centered Therapy places the person at the heart of the process. It focuses on active listening, empathy and respectful acceptance, helping clients explore their own values, feelings and experiences without pressure to follow a set agenda. This approach is well suited to issues of self-belief, shame, guilt and personal growth as well as relationship and family dynamics because it supports self-discovery and increased self-understanding.

Gillian uses a collaborative stance to determine the best way forward. Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work - she will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, and together the client and therapist will shape the sessions to match those needs.

Online therapy with Gillian is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to provide flexibility around work, family and daily life. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, access support from home, and choose the format that feels most comfortable for each session, while working with a registered professional who can tailor the process to individual circumstances.