Barry Dolan , NCPS

Barry Dolan is a counsellor who supports people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction and grief. He also helps with self-esteem, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, career stress and life changes. He works with issues linked to ADHD, compassion fatigue and chronic health challenges. Barry uses clear, practical conversations aimed at reducing immediate distress and improving day-to-day coping.

He trained in counselling at Writtle University College in Chelmsford, Essex, and holds a Professional Diploma in Psychological Counselling at level 5. Barry has practised since March 2020 and has five years of experience across private work, schools, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS. That mix of settings has exposed him to a wide range of everyday problems and complex needs.

Barry describes his approach as integrative. He draws on several therapies to match what each person needs in a session. Techniques include elements from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Attachment-Based work and Client-Centred counselling.

Sessions focus on simple, doable steps. Barry helps people spot unhelpful patterns, build practical skills and identify values that matter. Work can include paced breathing and grounding, thought and behaviour experiments, and clarifying what someone wants from life.

He accepts clients in the United Kingdom and from abroad, and conducts sessions in English. Prospective clients should confirm current session options and scheduling before booking.

How Barry’s approaches translate to online work

Barry draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy alongside Client-Centred principles. ACT focuses on noticing thoughts and choosing actions that match personal values, which can help with anxiety, depression and coping with life changes. CBT looks at how thoughts and behaviours interact and uses practical experiments to shift unhelpful patterns, which is useful for anxiety, low mood and addiction-related habits. Client-Centred work prioritises the person’s viewpoint and builds a trusting conversation where concerns can be talked through at the client’s pace.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. Barry will discuss goals, preferences and what has helped or not helped before. Together the client and counsellor decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as needed, keeping sessions collaborative and goal-focused.

The original profile does not specify the exact online session formats used. Please confirm current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions around daily life, reduce travel time and allow quicker check-ins between appointments. It also makes access possible for people living outside the therapist’s local area or for those juggling work and caregiving commitments.