Cathleen Brentnall, BACP

Cathleen Brentnall is a counsellor who aims to help people facing relationship strain, trauma, grief, and changes that come with aging. She uses straightforward conversation to find what matters to each person and to spot small steps that can make a difference. Cathleen works in English and can take clients from other countries as well.

Her background includes a Master’s in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counselling and a decade of focused practice in counselling, alongside broader professional experience. She is registered with the BACP, which is noted in her credentials as BACP.

Cathleen draws on a mix of approaches in her sessions. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients clarify values and commit to meaningful action. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps with unhelpful thinking and practical coping skills. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing for work with painful memories and relationship patterns.

Sessions explore strengths, how a person learns and makes decisions, and what drains or restores their energy. She can include faith and prayer in sessions when a client wants that element. Cathleen tailors the pace and techniques to each person and their goals.

Her work covers many concerns including parenting, career stress, ADHD, depression, eating and sleeping issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and ageing and geriatric issues. People who want a direct, value-focused approach may find her style a good fit.

How Cathleen’s approaches work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people name what matters to them and take steps that match those values. It is useful for life transitions, anxiety and making decisions about next steps. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on changing unhelpful thinking and building practical coping strategies for issues like depression, sleep problems and stress. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is used to reduce distress linked to difficult memories and can be part of trauma-focused work.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and how a person responds to different techniques. That collaborative process helps decide whether to emphasise values work, thought-focused strategies, or trauma processing methods.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm available options before booking. Many people find online sessions help them fit therapy into a busy week, make shorter check-ins easier, and reduce travel time. Online work also allows for consistent contact when life or health circumstances make in-person meetings harder. Registered and accredited professionals can adapt exercises, grounding techniques and homework to suit remote sessions so that progress continues between meetings.