Paula Byrne

Paula Byrne is a counsellor with six years of professional experience and registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She began her working life in hairdressing and barbering, and later worked in a GP surgery, a homeless hostel and with the Samaritans. Paula brings a straightforward, caring presence to sessions and aims to help people begin to untangle what feels overwhelming.

Paula offers a calm, non-judgemental space where people can talk at their own pace. She focuses on listening and honesty, helping people identify small steps they can take. Sessions move at the client’s speed and are shaped around what each person needs that week.

Her practice includes work with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions and intimacy-related issues. She also pays attention to attachment and abandonment concerns, body image and the particular stresses that come with caring roles and life transitions.

Paula draws on several therapeutic approaches to guide sessions. She uses client-centred listening to follow what matters most to the person in the room. Cognitive work can help shift unhelpful thinking patterns, and attachment-focused ideas help make sense of how past relationships influence current feelings.

People who choose Paula often want straightforward support, practical thinking tools and a warm, steady presence. She encourages gentle progress rather than quick fixes and helps people notice the strengths they already have. If someone prefers a down-to-earth counsellor who listens, Paula aims to be that companion on the first steps of change.

How Paula’s approaches translate to online support

Attachment-based ideas look at how early relationships shape current feelings and patterns, helping people make sense of trust, closeness and conflict. This can be useful for relationship worries, abandonment fears and repeating patterns in friendships or partnerships.

Client-centred therapy focuses on careful listening and following what the person brings each session. It helps when someone needs a calm space to talk things through and work out next steps at their own pace.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, offers practical ways to spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. It is often used for stress, anxiety and low mood and can provide tools people use between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will discuss different ways of working and help the person decide what fits their needs, goals and preferences. The process is collaborative and may blend elements from more than one approach over time.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the exact session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit counselling around daily life, for example by avoiding travel or saving time between commitments. It can also allow quieter check-ins when shorter conversations suit, or options that do not require being on camera.