Petina Walker, BACP

Petina Walker is an advanced integrative therapeutic counsellor and an Ambassador for Betterhelp, based in Devon in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and brings a warm, empathic presence to her clinical work. Petina prioritises active listening and creates a holding space where people can be heard and respected, drawing on many years of experience in counselling, training and substance misuse services.

Her practice is primarily solution-focused and intuitive, with Transactional Analysis as an underpinning framework. Petina often integrates approaches such as cognitive behavioural techniques, NLP and mindfulness to tailor interventions to the needs of each person. She works with a wide range of concerns, including addictions, anxiety, stress and anger management, relationship and co-dependency issues, trauma and grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, parenting and career challenges, and mood disorders such as depression and bipolar-related concerns.

Petina has delivered group work, treatment programmes and assessments, and has provided one-to-one online interventions as a senior member of a Clinical Assessments & Brief Interventions Team within a local drugs and alcohol service. More recently she has concentrated on developing her private practice and professional development, and she plans to write about her integrative approach to supporting people affected by addiction and co-dependency. She trained at The Iron Mill Institute in Exeter and describes her work as client-led, responsive to what each person brings to a session.

Attachment and Emotion-Focused Approaches for Online Care

Petina draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to explore patterns of relating that shape how people connect, trust and respond to others. This approach helps when difficulties stem from early relationships, separation, abandonment or ongoing attachment concerns by making those patterns clearer and easier to work with.

She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to help clients identify and express core emotions within relationships and personal challenges. EFT supports people who want to improve emotional connection, resolve recurring conflicts or better understand the feelings that drive behaviour.

Mindfulness Therapy is woven into sessions where helpful - teaching simple practices to increase present-moment awareness, reduce reactivity and support stress management. These techniques can be useful alongside other approaches for anxiety, trauma-related symptoms and mood difficulties.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work together. Petina, as a registered professional, collaborates with each person to choose or adapt methods that fit their goals, preferences and life circumstances, adjusting from session to session as needed.

Online therapy options such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to access consistent support around work, family and travel commitments. These formats offer flexibility in scheduling, allow international clients to connect, and give people a range of ways to communicate so therapy can fit different comfort levels and practical needs.