Summar Ali, BACP

Summar Ali offers compassionate, practical therapy that helps people make sense of difficult moments and find ways to move forward. She creates a calm, empathetic space to explore the issues that bring someone to therapy - whether they have been hurt, have hurt another, or are simply facing life transitions - and works collaboratively to support healing and growth.

With 11 years of experience, Summar has worked across a range of settings, including the NHS at CAMHS, schools as a counsellor, drug and alcohol services, bereavement support, and as a sexual trauma therapist for a local charity. She has also lectured at the University of Southampton and the Anna Freud Centre, teaching trainees who work in the NHS. When not working online she practices animal-assisted therapy.

Her training includes a BA in Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Interventions for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, a Postgraduate Certificate in Supervisory Skills, a Higher Education Certificate in Academic Practice and HE Fellowship status, plus CPD courses in the neurobiology of trauma. She is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - which reflects adherence to recognised professional standards.

Summar supports people with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and attachment issues, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, parenting and family difficulties, LGBT matters, intimacy and sexual culture, sleep problems, ADHD and coping with life changes. She works in English and accepts international clients, offering flexible online care alongside her other practice.

Therapeutic approaches and flexible online support

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed by them, and focuses on identifying values-led goals to create a more meaningful life. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and persistent stress where avoidance has become limiting.

Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape current patterns of relating and emotional needs, helping people understand and change how they connect in close relationships. It can be especially helpful for attachment issues, relationship difficulties, grief, and experiences of abandonment or adoption-related concerns.

Summar treats the choice of approach as a collaborative process. She works with clients to understand their needs, goals, and preferences and adjusts methods accordingly so the therapy fits the person rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy with Summar is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care during life changes, travel, or busy routines, and allow registered professionals to deliver consistent, tailored support across distances.