Deborah Ritchie, BACP

Deborah Ritchie is a counsellor who uses an integrative approach to care. She combines different therapies to meet each person where they are. Deborah works with people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationships, grief and low self‑esteem. She also supports those facing addiction, trauma, sleep difficulties and changes linked to ageing and geriatric issues.

She has four years of professional experience and holds BACP registration, which is shown as BACP. Her background includes counselling in a college setting for people aged 16 and over. There she covered topics such as family relationships, sex and gender identity, self‑harm and trauma.

In sessions she aims to explore the problems that cause distress and to help people find a clearer way forward. Deborah works with short‑term goals and longer term therapy depending on what a person needs. She often supports neurodiverse clients and those coping with caregiver stress, chronic illness, or complicated family situations.

Her approach draws on practical therapies to help with unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, alongside attachment‑based ideas about how relationships shape us. Mindfulness and acceptance strategies are used to build more flexible ways of responding to difficult feelings.

Deborah encourages people to take the first step and complete a short matching questionnaire to start. After that, sessions are scheduled based on therapist availability and the platform process.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It focuses on what matters most to the person and on taking small, workable steps towards those values. Attachment‑based work looks at how early and current relationships affect feelings of safety and connection and can help with trust and intimacy issues. Client‑centred therapy places the person at the heart of the work, offering a respectful, non‑judgemental space where the counsellor follows the client's pace.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Deborah aims to work collaboratively to identify which methods feel most useful. Together the person and counsellor will tailor sessions to the individual's goals, preferences and life circumstances.

Confirm the exact session formats before booking, as the biography does not list formats here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, for example by reducing travel time, allowing shorter check‑in appointments, or making it simpler to schedule sessions around work and care responsibilities. It can also let people choose whether to use video or audio depending on what feels manageable, and it supports continuing therapy through life transitions without needing to interrupt the process.