Sarah LeonardBACP

Sarah Leonard is a counsellor with 18 years of experience who uses a straightforward, person-focused approach. She works in the United Kingdom and holds BACP accreditation, and she aims to create a calm, non-judgemental space for people to talk about what matters most. Sarah commonly supports people facing stress, anxiety and depression, and she is experienced with pregnancy and childbirth concerns.

Sarah works in an integrative way that mixes client-centred listening with practical tools. That means sessions often begin with hearing the person's story and priorities, then trying techniques together that can help day-to-day. She draws on cognitive behavioural ideas to spot unhelpful thought patterns and on dialectical behaviour therapy strategies for managing strong emotions.

Mindfulness is used in short, simple exercises to reduce tension and bring attention back to the present moment. Motivational interviewing helps people find internal reasons to change when habits such as substance use or disordered eating feel stuck. These approaches are adapted to each person rather than applied in a fixed order.

Sarah has worked across a wide range of concerns including ADHD, addictions, relationship difficulties, eating issues and gender dysphoria. She also supports people dealing with the effects of domestic violence, dissociation and mood disorders. The focus is practical steps and steady progress rather than quick fixes.

People coming to sessions can expect a collaborative tone. Sarah invites questions, checks what is useful, and changes pace when needed. To begin, a short matching questionnaire is used so people can schedule sessions according to availability.

How Sarah’s approaches work in online counselling

Client-centred therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person’s priorities. The therapist offers empathic responses and helps people clarify what they want to change or understand. This approach is useful for building trust and deciding practical next steps.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact. It uses simple exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and to try small behavioural changes that can lower anxiety or lift mood. Dialectical behaviour therapy, DBT, adds skills for managing intense emotions, such as breathing and grounding techniques, and can help where mood swings or strong urges are a problem.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the person about goals and preferences, then shape sessions around what seems most helpful. That makes therapy a joint process rather than a fixed plan handed down by the counsellor.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy week and reducing travel time. Online appointments can be easier to schedule around work, childcare or medical appointments. Please confirm the specific session formats available before booking so you know how sessions will be conducted.