Lucy McGroarty, BACP

Lucy McGroarty is an integrative counsellor who believes people can heal and grow when they have supportive therapeutic relationships. She draws on a strong foundation in person-centred work alongside cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic approaches, which allows her to tailor sessions to each person’s needs and life experience.

Although talking therapy is central to her practice, Lucy has trained with the Institute of Arts and incorporates creativity, imagery, and metaphor when words are hard to find. This variety of methods helps clients explore feelings and experiences in different ways and can be particularly useful for those who struggle to articulate what they’re feeling.

Lucy encourages a warm, down-to-earth atmosphere during sessions and welcomes small comforts such as a cup of tea, a favourite blanket, or a pet to be present while working. She emphasises the therapeutic relationship as the crucial part of change, offering a non-judgemental, open, and understanding approach that aims to foster connection and support personal growth.

Lucy holds the BACP credential, which is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, reflecting her commitment to professional standards in the UK.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions with Lucy McGroarty

Lucy works from a client-centred perspective, which focuses on understanding each person’s experience with warmth and acceptance and helps people explore their values, needs, and relationships. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - CBT - is used to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, and can be effective for issues such as anxiety, low mood, and coping with life changes. Emotionally-Focused Therapy - EFT - attends to emotional patterns in relationships and can support couples or individuals dealing with attachment and intimacy-related difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Lucy collaborates with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts her way of working as the relationship develops so the therapy remains relevant and effective.

Online therapy with Lucy offers practical flexibility - sessions can be scheduled as video calls or phone conversations, and there are options for live chat or ongoing text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into daily life, reduce travel time, and allow clients to attend from familiar and comforting surroundings while working with a registered professional.