Laura Ferguson, NCPS

Counsellor and NCPS Accredited Member with eight years' experience, Laura Ferguson helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family difficulties, self-esteem concerns, and related issues. She has worked in private practice, charities and custodial settings, so she is used to different kinds of conversations and practical problems.

Laura uses straightforward talking therapy. She believes people know much about their own lives and that a counsellor's role is to listen, reflect and help identify strengths that may not be obvious at first. Sessions focus on what is happening now and on small steps that might make a difference in daily life.

Her approach draws on client-centred ways of working and psychodynamic ideas to understand patterns, alongside Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to tackle unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Motivational Interviewing informs how she supports people who want to make changes but feel stuck.

In practice, Laura aims for clear, realistic goals. She will notice recurring relationship and family dynamics and help a person think through options. She also works with issues such as trauma and abuse, intimacy and commitment worries, obsessional thinking, seasonal mood changes, self-harm and workplace stress.

Sessions are conversational and practical. People can expect a focus on immediate concerns and on building steadier ways of coping over time. The approach is suitable for those looking for a mix of talking through feelings and learning new ways to manage problems.

How her approaches work in online counselling