Counsellor profile
Lucy McLaren, BACP
Counsellor - stress and relationships
See online counselling options- Client-Centred
- CBT
- Grief and loss
About Lucy
Counsellor Lucy McLaren is a BACP member with eight years' experience offering UK counselling for people facing stress, anxiety, depression and relationship concerns. She works with issues such as grief, low self-esteem, addiction and changes in life circumstances. Sessions are presented as a chance to talk things through and decide what matters most to the client.
Lucy uses a client-centred style that keeps the person and their choices at the heart of sessions. She also draws on cognitive behavioural approaches to address unhelpful thinking and practical coping strategies. In conversation she aims to be direct and plain, helping people name problems and try simple steps to change them.
Her background includes supporting people through trauma, abuse and separation, and helping with intimacy-related concerns and body image issues. She has worked with clients dealing with addiction, eating and food-related problems, and caregiver stress. She is also experienced in supporting people with attachment or abandonment concerns and related patterns such as avoidant or dependent personality traits.
Lucy describes sessions as collaborative. She listens and helps people set small, realistic goals for change. Where relevant, she uses cognitive behavioural tools to break patterns of thinking and behaviour, then tests new approaches in everyday life.
People are invited to consider practical next steps in each meeting. Lucy asks about what is happening now, what the client most wants to change, and which small actions could make a difference. She works with adults in the United Kingdom and carries her BACP credential in her professional profile.
How Lucy applies her approaches to online counselling
Lucy uses client-centred counselling to prioritise the person's own concerns and choices. That approach means the counsellor listens, reflects and follows what matters most to the client rather than imposing a plan. It suits people who want space to clarify their feelings and priorities.She also uses cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions. CBT offers practical exercises and short experiments to test new ways of thinking and coping, which can help with anxiety, low mood and unhelpful habits.
Choosing an approach is part of the work together. The counsellor will discuss options in early sessions and agree what feels most useful given the client's goals and preferences. This is a collaborative decision and can change as progress is made.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so please confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling around work, childcare or travel. They can also allow for shorter check-ins when time is limited, or for speaking without being on camera if that suits the person better. Registered or accredited professionals commonly offer a range of session rhythms and lengths to help counselling fit into everyday life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
8+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression and relationship concerns, plus related issues such as grief, eating and addiction problems.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses a client-centred approach alongside cognitive behavioural techniques to discuss problems and try practical steps.
How much experience does she have?
She has eight years of professional experience working with adults on a range of emotional and life challenges.
Which credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is listed with the BACP and works with people in the United Kingdom.
Can I have sessions in another language?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with people outside the UK?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin a course of counselling?
Click the See online counselling options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A membership or registration can be checked on the professional body's own register.
Online counselling is not emergency care. In an emergency call 999, or see the help numbers.