Vanessa Higgins, BACP

Vanessa Higgins is a counsellor with more than 10 years of professional experience helping people navigate difficult periods in their lives. She works with a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, stress, trauma and abuse, grief, and self-esteem struggles, and offers tailored support to help clients regain emotional balance and wellbeing.

Her practice uses an integrative counselling approach, drawing on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Person-Centred Therapy, and Psychodynamic Theory so interventions can be adapted to each person’s needs. This flexible method allows Vanessa to combine practical strategies with deeper exploration of patterns and emotional experience to promote lasting change.

Vanessa brings deep empathy and a committed, nonjudgmental stance to her work. She supports clients at a pace that feels comfortable, aiming to help people feel heard, emotionally supported, and more able to face life’s challenges with confidence. She explains her professional credential as BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - to indicate alignment with recognised standards for counsellors in the United Kingdom.

Appointment availability is concentrated mainly on Mondays throughout the day and into the early evening, with additional sessions on Fridays and occasional slots that may vary from week to week.

Integrative approaches for effective online support

Vanessa commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy in her practice. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns, offering practical tools for issues such as anxiety, stress, and low mood. Person-Centred Therapy emphasises empathic listening and the client’s own resources, helping people build self-understanding and confidence through a supportive therapeutic relationship. Psychodynamic ideas are also used to explore how past experiences and relationship patterns can influence current feelings and behaviour, which can be helpful for longer-standing difficulties such as attachment issues or complex emotional responses.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey, and Vanessa works collaboratively with each person to choose methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques as progress unfolds so the work remains relevant and manageable.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, which makes therapy more flexible around work, caregiving, and mobility needs. These options expand access to registered professionals and allow clients to continue therapy from locations and schedules that suit them, while keeping the focus on meaningful progress and practical support.