Doreen Patenall

Doreen Patenall is a PACFA counsellor with 25 years of professional experience. She focuses on practical support for stress, anxiety, relationship strains, trauma and grief. She aims to build a calm space where people can talk honestly about what they are feeling. Taking the first step often feels hard, and she offers steady support through that process.

Over her career she has helped people manage panic, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress. She also works with concerns around body image, control issues, guilt and shame. Her approach is flexible and shaped around each person’s needs rather than a fixed routine.

Doreen uses a blend of methods that include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She also draws on attachment-based and client-centred ways of working to help people feel heard and understood. Sessions focus on practical strategies and small steps that can be used between meetings.

She pays attention to communication problems, divorce and separation, and issues around life purpose and isolation. Doreen also supports clients facing hospice, end-of-life counselling and forgiveness work. Her background means she can help people untangle patterns that keep them stuck and find new ways forward.

If you want a counsellor who listens, offers clear tools and helps you plan achievable changes, Doreen aims to be that steady partner. Prospective clients are encouraged to start the matching process and arrange a time that suits them.

How her approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being led by them, and then commit to actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, stress and life-direction concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is often used for panic, social anxiety and mood difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the work and will be decided together. Doreen will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then try methods that fit those aims. She adapts techniques from different approaches to suit what the person needs in the moment.

Please confirm current session options before booking, as specific formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also suit people who prefer not to be on camera or who need a quieter arrangement to manage concentration and energy. Appropriately qualified counsellors can help tailor session length and focus to everyday schedules.