Claire Cotgrove, BACP

Claire Cotgrove is a person-centred counsellor practising in the United Kingdom who holds the BACP credential (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and has three years of professional experience. She specialises in supporting LGBTQIA+ clients and people navigating questions of sexuality, gender, neurodivergence and intimacy, and she works with those affected by trauma, coercive or abusive relationships, shame and guilt.

Claire frames her work around empathy, warmth and acceptance, creating an environment where clients are listened to and validated. Her person-centred approach places the client at the heart of therapy, with the counsellor accompanying them as they explore personal history, relationships and identity. She also offers creative therapy options as another way to access emotions and encourage self-expression.

Clients can bring a wide range of concerns to sessions, including relationship difficulties, attachment and abandonment issues, family and blended family challenges, neurodivergence-related concerns, sexual and gender identity questions, domestic violence and recovery from trauma. Claire aims to help people build self-understanding, reduce shame, and work towards greater empowerment and acceptance in their lives.

The therapeutic space she offers is focused on the individual client and what they bring to each session, with care tailored to personal goals and experiences.

Client-Centered and Trauma-Focused Care Online

Client-Centered Therapy is built around creating a supportive, non-judgemental space where the client’s perspective guides the work. In practice this means the therapist listens with empathy, reflects what is heard, and helps clients explore their feelings and choices so they can move toward greater self-understanding and personal goals. This approach is well suited to identity exploration, relationship concerns, self-esteem difficulties and life transitions.

Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding the impact of traumatic experiences and helping people process distressing memories and emotional responses. It uses targeted strategies to reduce the hold of past trauma on present life and to rebuild a sense of safety and agency. This approach can help people recovering from abuse, coercive relationships, and other traumatic events.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the collaborative process. Claire will work together with each client to identify which methods best fit their needs, goals and preferences, adjusting the focus as therapy progresses to ensure the work remains relevant and accessible.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit therapy around work, family and energy levels. For many clients this range of options increases access to consistent support and allows the therapeutic relationship to develop in a way that suits their life.