Claire Payne

Claire Payne is an NCPS counsellor practising in the United Kingdom with three years of private practice experience and a longer background in social care. She works with people who are facing family difficulties, trauma and abuse, struggles with self esteem, career uncertainty, compassion fatigue and questions about life purpose. Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients. Claire uses an integrative approach in sessions, drawing on person‑centred ideas, Gestalt and cognitive behavioural techniques. She can also offer sand tray work for people who find it hard to put feelings into words. In conversation she pays attention to how early life and trauma affect everyday patterns, and she brings practical ways to look at workplace stress and burnout. Her background includes many years working in social care alongside three years working in private practice settings. That experience informs how she talks about attachment, abandonment and the long term effects of abuse. She offers both short and longer term work depending on what someone needs. People often come to her with issues around communication, control, guilt and shame, isolation, or the impact of separation. Claire says she adapts pace and style to suit each session, and she uses practical exercises alongside talking. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule their first session. Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

Approaches used and what to expect from online sessions

Claire integrates person centred, Gestalt and cognitive behavioural (CBT) ideas into her work. Person centred work focuses on listening and helping people to find their own answers by reflecting back what matters to them. Gestalt techniques look at what happens in the present moment in the session, including body signals and unfinished experiences from the past. CBT offers practical skills to notice unhelpful thinking and try different behavioural experiments to test small changes.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Claire collaborates with people to decide which methods suit their needs and goals. She reviews what is helping and adjusts the approach as sessions progress, so the method can shift if something else looks more useful.

The biography does not specify which session formats are used, so please confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work, childcare and everyday life. They also allow for shorter check ins when time is limited, or for conversations without needing travel. Registered and accredited professionals often use remote sessions to offer more flexible appointment times and to keep ongoing support practical for people juggling many commitments.