May Pope, NCPS

May Pope, NCPS, is a counsellor who uses evidence-based practice, empathy, and a client-led approach to help people navigate stress, anxiety, family difficulties, trauma and depression. She blends person-centred counselling with other therapeutic tools, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to tailor support to each person’s needs. NCPS is presented as a professional counselling credential held by May.

She has particular experience working with trauma and with neurodivergent clients, including those with ADHD and autism. May is completing a Master’s degree that focuses on autism spectrum differences in women and the effects of family estrangement, and she has recently undertaken continuing professional development in trauma and complex post-traumatic stress. These trainings inform her work with survivors of abuse and with people experiencing panic, low mood, and relationship challenges.

May has worked alongside people facing psychosis, addiction and personality and mood disorders, though she does not currently work with eating disorders or children. Her practice also addresses attachment concerns, caregiver stress, communication difficulties, guilt and shame, sexuality and women’s issues.

Sessions are offered weekly or fortnightly, with some clients choosing monthly check-ins to support a planned ending. May offers both short-term and longer-term work and aims to build a therapeutic relationship that clients can use as a model for healthier connections with others and with themselves.

Practical therapeutic approaches and online access

May uses person-centred counselling to create a respectful, empathic space where a person’s own experience is the starting point for change. This approach focuses on listening, validation and helping people discover their own resources to address stress, family difficulties and emotional distress. Cognitive behavioural therapy, used alongside person-centred work when helpful, offers practical techniques to identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns that contribute to anxiety, panic and low mood.

She also integrates trauma-informed methods when working with survivors of abuse and complex stress responses, drawing on recent continuing professional development in trauma and C/PTSD. As with other registered professionals, May works collaboratively with each person to decide which approaches best fit their needs, goals and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as therapy progresses.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, which allow sessions to fit around work, caregiving and daily life. These formats make it easier to maintain regular contact whether someone is local or international, and they support flexible scheduling - for example weekly, fortnightly or occasional monthly check-ins - to suit different kinds of therapeutic work.