Barbara Coates

Barbara Coates is a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist practising in the United Kingdom with a Master’s degree and five years of professional experience. She combines more than one psychotherapeutic approach to tailor therapy to each person’s needs and goals.

She aims to create an open, safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared. She listens and responds with unconditional compassion and empathy. Clients describe her as kind, understanding, non-judgemental and very easy to talk to.

Barbara supports people facing a wide range of difficulties, including stress, anxiety and panic, low mood or depression, mood swings, anger and difficulties understanding and managing emotions. She also works with trauma and abuse including childhood trauma, grief and loss, relationship and family problems, low motivation, low self-esteem and confidence, sleeping difficulties, addictions, bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue, career concerns and coping with significant life changes. Her listed specialties also include LGBT and gay clients. She is a female therapist.

Her work focuses on helping people understand their difficulties, identify strengths and develop practical strategies and tools to manage symptoms or address longer-term issues so they can move forward and experience improved quality of life. The support she offers is tailored to each person’s unique experiences, needs and objectives, using a flexible range of interventions and therapeutic resources and adapting creatively where helpful.

Barbara integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Attachment Theory and the Person-Centred Approach. CBT is used to explore links between thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviours so that practical changes can be made. Attachment Theory helps to understand early emotional bonds and their impact on current relationships. The Person-Centred Approach offers a non-judgemental space to explore solutions and personal growth.

Reaching out for support takes courage, and Barbara acknowledges those first steps. She follows the BACP Ethical Guidelines and UK law in her psychotherapy practice. She is required to break confidentiality if she believes there is a significant risk of harm to the client or others, and, as is standard for UK therapists, her work is discussed with a clinical supervisor without identifying the client.