Gemma Pattison, BACP

Gemma Pattison is a counsellor practising in the United Kingdom with eight years of professional experience. She meets people where they are and helps them make sense of difficult feelings. Gemma emphasises a respectful, non-judgemental manner and values the courage it takes to begin therapy.

Her way of working centres on the person and their priorities. Gemma uses a client-centred style so people set the pace and focus of sessions. She also blends other approaches when it will help, bringing in tools and techniques suited to each person’s needs.

Gemma has supported people with stress, anxiety and low mood, as well as grief, trauma and abuse. She also helps with relationship and intimacy-related issues, self-esteem, addiction concerns, sleep and eating difficulties, and challenges linked to neurodiversity and attachment. Her background includes work around caregiver stress, chronic health conditions, and identity matters such as LGBT concerns.

Sessions aim to build on a person’s strengths while offering practical ways to manage distress. Conversations can include exploring unhelpful thinking patterns, trying mindfulness practices, or working through relationship dynamics. Gemma is open and responsive to messages between sessions when that fits the working agreement.

To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule times that suit them. The therapist uses a subscription model for sessions which can be cancelled at any time, and she works with international clients who use English.

How Gemma's approaches translate to online work

Attachment-based work focuses on patterns in relationships and how early connections shape current feelings. Online sessions can explore those patterns through reflective conversations and exercises to notice connection styles and emotional responses.

Client-centred therapy gives the person control over what to bring to each session. In an online setting this means sessions follow the client’s priorities while the counsellor offers empathic listening and gentle guidance.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, when used, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions and introduces practical techniques to test and change unhelpful patterns. Online sessions can include short exercises and homework to try between meetings.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. Gemma will work with each person to agree what feels most useful, combining methods where needed and checking in about progress and preferences. This collaborative decision-making helps tailor the work to personal goals.

Confirm the current session formats before booking, as options can vary. The biography indicates she uses video, telephone and chat and responds to messages when that fits the agreed way of working. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions around daily life, allow shorter check-ins by phone or chat, and reduce travel time while keeping the focus on practical coping skills and emotional understanding.