Isla Donaldson, NCPS

Isla Donaldson is a United Kingdom based therapist who supports people navigating stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem and depression. With five years of clinical experience, she specialises in helping clients reconnect with their immediate experience and resources so they can restore balance, meaning and a stronger sense of self. Isla combines a person-centred stance with somatic and trauma-informed ways of working to meet each person where they are and follow the pace that feels right for them.

She offers a collaborative, nonjudgemental space where understanding and presence guide the work. Isla moves alongside clients with empathy and gentle challenge, using attention to in-the-moment sensations and feelings as an important route for expanding awareness, processing emotion and memory, and supporting nervous system regulation. This embodied focus aims to foster greater self-awareness, self-acceptance, resilience and clarity as clients navigate difficult experiences.

Isla has worked with both adults and young people on a range of concerns including low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief and loss, and post-traumatic stress. She has particular experience with suicidal ideation, self-harm and survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Isla holds a first-class BA in Humanistic Counselling Practice and the NCPS credential, a professional counselling qualification, and she continues to pursue further training in somatic trauma work, attachment, internal systems approaches and applied suicide intervention.

Her schedule is reasonably flexible and she will try to accommodate requests for sessions outside available slots. Reaching out can be a brave step and Isla will meet enquiries with respect and careful attention. Prospective clients can get in touch to discuss what has brought them to therapy and what they would like to be different, and to ask any questions about the process.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Isla works primarily from a client-centred framework, which foregrounds the therapeutic relationship and trusts each person's capacity for growth - the therapist follows the client’s needs and helps create a supportive space for exploration. Somatic therapy is used alongside this, paying attention to bodily sensations and physical responses as a route to understanding and processing emotions and trauma, which can be especially helpful for anxiety, post-traumatic stress and chronic stress. Trauma-focused therapy is also part of her practice, bringing targeted support for those who have experienced abuse, assault or other traumatic events and who need careful processing and resources for regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey. Isla works collaboratively with each person to identify which methods fit their goals, preferences and current concerns, and adjusts the pace and focus as the relationship develops. Clients are invited to explore options and make shared decisions about the best path forward.

Online therapy with Isla is offered by video, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to provide flexibility and accessibility. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, continue work from different locations and maintain continuity of care when in-person sessions are not possible. Registered professionals and therapists using these methods aim to make meaningful progress while accommodating each client’s practical needs.