Anne-Marie Bates

Anne-Marie Bates welcomes people who are feeling stuck, alone, overwhelmed or unsure where to turn. She aims to make first conversations simple and clear. Her approach is calm and straightforward, helping people talk about stress, anxiety, low mood, relationship strain and feelings of isolation. Anne-Marie uses plain language and listens carefully to what matters most to each person.

She has 12 years of counselling experience and is an Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. That background includes working with students and staff at a college of higher education and with people in private practice from a range of backgrounds. Sessions are non-judgemental and centred on the person attending.

In conversation, Anne-Marie helps people notice what keeps problems going and then tries practical ways to change them. She adapts her style to match how someone prefers to work, so sessions can be steady and reflective or focused on small steps. Typical themes include family tension, communication problems, self-esteem and midlife questions.

She also supports people dealing with guilt, body image worries, difficulties with sexuality, impulsive behaviour and thoughts of self-harm. Anne-Marie aims to help people find purpose and reconnect with others when loneliness feels overwhelming.

People who want to begin are invited to use the site process to complete a short matching questionnaire and then arrange sessions as suggested. Anne-Marie works in the United Kingdom and holds sessions in English.

How her approaches can work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person without judgement. It helps when someone needs time to talk through difficult feelings and regain confidence in their own choices.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses small, practical steps to change unhelpful patterns and can be useful for anxiety, low mood and problematic behaviour.

Solution-Focused Therapy centres on what a person wants to be different and builds short-term, achievable goals. It is helpful when someone wants quick, concrete changes to daily routines or relationships.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Anne-Marie will discuss what seems most useful based on a person’s needs, goals and preferences, and she adapts sessions as those needs change. The process is collaborative and paced to suit the individual.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so please confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, reduce travel time and allow meetings during a lunch break or after work. It can also make shorter check-ins simpler to manage when that feels more helpful.