Peter Plaistowe

Peter Plaistowe is a BACP-registered counsellor in the United Kingdom with eight years' practice since 2017. He works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem problems, bereavement and major life changes. He also supports people dealing with relationship strain, trauma and abuse, career uncertainty and questions about life purpose.

Peter describes his work as rooted in forming a respectful relationship with each person. He says that reflecting on the past can help people understand patterns and make different choices. He offers both short-term work for immediate problems and longer-term therapy for issues that need deeper exploration.

He practises as an integrative counsellor and draws on several established approaches to match the needs of each client. Peter commonly uses person-centred methods to listen and prioritise the client's experience. He also uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how past experiences affect current feelings.

Peter includes cognitive-behavioural techniques to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, and transactional analysis to look at interpersonal roles and communication. He emphasises practical conversation and reflection rather than jargon, and aims to make sessions straightforward and focused.

People often approach him about grief, including bereavement related to substance misuse, midlife questions, financial stress, shame or guilt, and feelings of isolation. He is comfortable discussing career doubts and the search for meaning that sometimes follows big life changes. If someone wants to meet first, he offers a 20-minute initial phone call to discuss needs and next steps.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online work

Peter draws on several evidence-based techniques and uses them in straightforward ways. Person-centred work focuses on listening and helping the client articulate what matters most, which can help with low mood and uncertainty. Cognitive-behavioural techniques target unhelpful thoughts and behaviours through practical exercises and simple homework, which often helps with anxiety and depression. Psychodynamic ideas look at how past experiences affect current feelings, useful when grief or repeated relationship patterns are present.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Peter says he will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and can move between short-term practical work and longer-term reflection as needed.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current online options before booking. Many people find online sessions help fit therapy around work and family commitments, reduce travel time, or allow shorter check-ins when days are busy. Others prefer longer sessions for deeper exploration. Discussing format, length and frequency during the initial call helps make sessions work within everyday life.