Oliver Williams, BACP

Oliver Williams is a BACP counsellor with five years' experience in a range of settings. He draws on work in clinical services and community programmes to offer straightforward, respectful therapy. He aims to build honest, equal relationships where people feel heard and understood.

Before working in independent practice he was an associate psychotherapist at The Priory. He has also provided therapy through a domestic abuse agency and supported staff via employee assistance programmes. That mix of settings means he is used to working with different pressures and life demands.

Oliver has experience offering counselling to children and young people through a digital service, and he has supported people affected by long-term unemployment as part of Department for Work and Pensions programmes. He has also worked in projects aimed at improving access for men and boys to therapeutic help.

In sessions he prefers clear, practical conversations. He uses Client-Centred Therapy to focus on the person's experience and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to address unhelpful thoughts and patterns. He also draws on Emotionally-Focused and Solution-Focused ideas when emotions and relationships are central.

People come to him for help with stress, anxiety, depression and trauma. He also works with issues such as relationship and family problems, grief, intimacy concerns, anger, career shifts and coping with life changes. His additional focus areas include attachment, adoption and foster care matters, autism and related challenges, and difficulties linked to abandonment or domestic violence.

How Oliver's approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy places the person's experience at the centre of each session. The counsellor listens closely, reflects what is said and helps the person explore concerns at their own pace; this approach suits people who need time to be heard and understood. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses practical steps and exercises to change unhelpful patterns and can help with anxiety, depression and stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) looks at emotional patterns in close relationships and helps people name and shift strong emotional responses that cause distance or conflict.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful. Together they will choose techniques and ways of working that fit the person's needs and day-to-day life.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online counselling can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins between appointments and remove travel time. It can also make some tasks, such as using worksheets or practicing coping exercises, simpler to do during or after a session. Registered or accredited professionals can offer these ways of working, and the therapist will help decide what works best for each person.