Elizabeth Housden, BACP

Elizabeth Housden is a BACP counsellor who offers calm, non-judgemental support for people feeling overwhelmed. She helps with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She aims to make the first steps feel manageable and clear.

Elizabeth uses an integrative approach, drawing on a range of therapeutic techniques to suit each person. Sessions focus on listening, understanding what matters to the client, and finding practical ways to cope day to day. She works at a pace chosen by the client and pays attention to personal history and current pressures.

Her work has included schools, specialist services and community settings. This gives experience with a wide mix of situations and life stages. Her background in peripatetic teams means she is used to flexible ways of helping people access support.

Clients come for many reasons beyond the core concerns. Areas she often supports include abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, attachment struggles, blended family pressures, codependency and domestic violence. She also works with addictions, feelings of emptiness, guilt and shame, and questions about life purpose and midlife change.

Elizabeth brings more than a decade of counselling experience and long experience in the mental health field. Alongside this professional work she speaks from personal lived experience of overcoming challenges, which she says helps her relate with empathy. She encourages practical steps toward clearer thinking and greater day-to-day resilience.

How therapeutic techniques translate to online work

Elizabeth works in an integrative way, combining evidence-based therapeutic techniques to meet a person’s needs. Two common approaches she draws on are cognitive-style methods and trauma-informed practice. Cognitive-style methods focus on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and trying small, practical changes to reduce distress and tackle symptoms like anxiety and panic. Trauma-informed practice prioritises safety, pacing and making sense of difficult memories to reduce their hold on daily life.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, and then adapt techniques as the sessions progress. This collaborative process helps clients try approaches and adjust them if needed.

The practical benefits of online therapy are about fitting help into life. Many people find it easier to schedule sessions without travel and to attend from wherever they are based. If you are considering online work, confirm which session formats are available before booking so you know what will suit your routine. Registered or accredited professionals can offer online support that focuses on steady progress and real-world coping skills.