Matthew Higgins, BACP

Matthew Higgins trained as a counsellor later in life, bringing a wide range of personal and professional experience to his therapeutic work. He adopts a person-centred, non-judgemental approach that prioritises listening and empathic presence, giving clients the time and space to express themselves fully without fear of being labelled or dismissed. He aims to create a welcoming environment where people feel respected, valued and understood.

Matthew completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in 2021, which included 100 hours of client work carried out during placements. He is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and continues to offer services through a charitable counselling organisation in North Yorkshire, a charity specialising in bereavement support, and volunteering with the Samaritans to assist people experiencing suicide-related distress.

While he works with adults of all ages, Matthew often finds a strong fit with more mature clients who may be dealing with bereavement, new relationships after separation or loss, blended families later in life, redundancy, career change, loneliness or isolation. He believes counselling should not be formulaic - his training was grounded in the Carl Rogers person-centred model, yet he recognises that some people benefit from more directional or challenging interventions and tailors his approach to each individual client.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Matthew draws primarily on client-centred work, attachment-based ideas and elements of Emotionally-Focused Therapy to support people online. Client-centred therapy focuses on empathic listening and meeting clients where they are - it helps people build self-understanding, confidence and a stronger sense of direction. Attachment-based therapy explores how early relationship patterns influence current reactions and connections - it can be useful for relationship difficulties, trust issues and problems with intimacy. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) targets emotional experience in the here-and-now to help people and couples process difficult feelings and improve the quality of their relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey and Matthew treats that choice as a collaborative conversation. He works with clients to understand their needs, goals and preferences and will adapt methods over time so the work feels relevant and effective for the individual.

Online therapy with Matthew is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, to attend from different locations and to continue work consistently even when in-person meetings are not possible. Registered professionals like Matthew aim to make therapeutic support accessible and practical for those seeking help.