About Joanna
Joanna Cottrell is a UK counsellor who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety and low confidence. She supports those dealing with depression, relationship and career challenges, and people navigating questions around identity, including LGBT concerns. Joanna aims to make the first step into therapy less daunting by offering a calm, non-judgemental space to talk.
She uses straightforward counselling skills to listen and help people make sense of difficult feelings.
Background and approach
Joanna draws on client-centred work to follow what matters most to each person, and she mixes in practical ideas from cognitive behavioural therapy and solution-focused methods when useful. Sessions are conversational and aimed at finding realistic next steps rather than complicated theory. Joanna has eight years of experience working with these kinds of issues and holds BACP registration.
That background shapes a down-to-earth approach that values personal goals and everyday changes. She encourages small experiments between sessions to test what helps. People often come for help with sleep, eating concerns, grief, addiction-related worries, parenting strain or the effects of trauma and abuse.
Joanna also supports those dealing with chronic illness, caregiver stress, attachment or body image issues. Her practice aims to be practical, patient and focused on what a person wants to change. To begin, she invites people to share what they hope to achieve so she can tailor the pace and focus.
Joanna works collaboratively and adjusts her approach as progress and needs become clearer.
What Joanna works with
Everything Joanna lists, in their own terms. LGBT is the reason Joanna is listed here; the rest shows what else Joanna works with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- ADHD
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Joanna lists
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How Joanna uses evidence-based approaches online
Client-Centred Therapy puts the person’s concerns at the heart of the work. The counsellor listens closely and follows the client’s priorities, helping them name what matters and decide the pace of change. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions; it uses simple, practical exercises to shift unhelpful patterns and can help with anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Motivational Interviewing focuses on a person’s own reasons for change and can be useful for issues like addiction, motivation and health behaviour.Finding the right approach is usually a collaborative process. Joanna will discuss different ways of working and agree a plan with each person based on their goals and preferences, adjusting methods as progress is made. The aim is to try approaches that fit the individual rather than insisting on one model.
If you are considering online therapy, confirm the available session formats before booking so you know how sessions are delivered. Online options can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also make it simpler to keep continuity of support during life changes, while the therapist and client focus together on practical steps and homework between sessions.
Questions people ask about Joanna
What kinds of problems does Joanna help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression and confidence issues, plus career and relationship difficulties and many related concerns such as grief, trauma, addiction and sleep or eating problems.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is conversational and client-centred, focusing on what matters to the person. She combines listening with practical strategies from cognitive behavioural and solution-focused work when helpful.
What is her experience in the field?
She has eight years of professional experience using counselling skills in practice, supporting people through a range of emotional and life difficulties.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is registered with the BACP and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the UK work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with Joanna?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
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