Robert Winstanley , BACP

Robert Winstanley is a BACP-accredited counsellor and psychotherapist who supports people facing a wide range of emotional and practical challenges. He works from core principles of respect, trust, tolerance, fairness, freedom of choice, and honesty, and adapts his approach to meet each client's needs. Robert blends a person-centred way of working with Egan's Skilled Helper Model so sessions address both emotional understanding and practical problem solving. BACP indicates accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, a recognised professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK.

Since 2016 Robert has worked within the NHS and a variety of employee assistance programmes across England and Ireland, helping clients with depression, anxiety, work-related stress, bereavement, and relationship concerns. He has experience supporting people from diverse cultural, personal, and neurodiverse backgrounds and tailors interventions to the individual circumstances of each client.

Robert has a particular interest in Critical Incident Stress Management Debriefs and regularly travels to workplaces around the United Kingdom to support people affected by traumatic events. In these roles he offers practical tools and emotional support to help individuals process their experiences and move forward.

In practice Robert combines empathy with goal-oriented work. For example, he helped a client overwhelmed by workplace pressures to explore their feelings, set boundaries, adopt self-care routines such as regular breaks and mindfulness, and communicate needs more effectively at work. Over time those changes improved the client's balance and wellbeing, an outcome Robert found deeply rewarding.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Robert draws on client-centred therapy, offering a non-judgemental space where the therapist follows the client's lead to explore feelings, values, and personal goals - an approach that supports issues such as anxiety, relationship difficulties, self-esteem, and life transitions. Solution-focused therapy complements this work by concentrating on practical, short-term strategies and clear goals to address current problems like work stress, career decisions, or coping with specific challenges. Trauma-focused therapy is used when past or recent traumatic events are central to someone's distress; it aims to help people process those experiences and build coping strategies to manage their effects.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Robert works collaboratively with clients and licensed professionals to identify which methods best match each person's needs, goals, and preferences, and he adapts the plan as progress is made. This collaborative stance helps ensure therapy feels relevant and manageable.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, continue work during life changes, and connect with a therapist from different locations, while allowing each person to choose the communication style that suits them best.