Gayle Johnston

Gayle Johnston is a UK counsellor and a BACP registered humanistic practitioner with three years of experience. She works with adults who are wrestling with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, and major life changes. Gayle welcomes people who know what they want to work on and those who only feel they need support. Gayle uses a humanistic, client-centred way of working. Sessions focus on listening and helping people name feelings and reactions. Conversations move at a pace the person feels able to manage, with space to look at difficult memories or current pressures. She also helps people untangle relationship and family patterns, including attachment and family of origin issues. Practical themes such as communication problems, commitment worries, and blended family strains are part of the work she offers. Other topics Gayle can address include abandonment, ageing and geriatric concerns, body image, control and dependent personality problems, divorce and separation, fatherhood issues, feelings of emptiness, and forgiveness. She uses straightforward discussion to help people notice patterns and consider different ways of coping. Sessions aim to increase understanding of what is happening now, and to provide steadier ways of coping day to day. People are invited to reflect on values and what matters to them, including questions about life purpose. Practical pacing and gentle exploration are central to her approach.

How client-centred work translates to online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening, understanding and reflecting what someone is feeling. It involves open questions, reflective replies and giving people space to find their own words. This approach is often used for anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and coping with life transitions, where being heard helps people make sense of things.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Gayle will work collaboratively to decide whether a client-centred style is the best fit, based on the person’s needs, goals and preferences. That discussion happens in early sessions and can be revisited as things change.

Practical benefits of online work include fitting sessions around a busy schedule and keeping appointments with less travel time. Confirm the exact session formats and technical options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats. Online sessions can make it easier to keep continuity while balancing work, care responsibilities and other commitments.