Hayley Matthews, BACP, NCPS

Hayley Matthews is a therapeutic counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression and life changes. She works with individuals dealing with trauma, relationship and family concerns, addiction, sleep and eating issues, and low self-esteem. Hayley also supports people exploring identity and intimacy-related worries and those coping with grief or major transitions.

Hayley uses a person-centred way of working. She aims to understand how each person experiences the world and to reflect that back without judgement. Sessions focus on making sense of past experiences, processing thoughts and feelings, and finding practical steps that fit everyday life.

Her practice is relational in tone. Hayley emphasises warmth, honesty and genuine engagement to help clients notice how they present to others. She may suggest creative options such as metaphor, journaling or creative writing when these approaches feel helpful.

She draws on a mix of approaches including cognitive behavioural ideas and elements from solution-focused work to support coping and change. Hayley has worked in the care sector and in mental health services, offering both shorter and longer term counselling to a wide range of presenting problems.

Hayley is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and holds NCPS credentials. All of her work is clinically supervised and she is insured to practise. For online or telephone session options, confirm current formats before booking.

How Hayley’s approaches work in online therapy

Hayley integrates person-centred and attachment-informed ways of working that focus on understanding how people experience relationships and the world. Person-centred work involves listening closely, reflecting what is said, and helping people make sense of their feelings in a way that feels respectful and genuine. Attachment-informed ideas look at how early relationships shape responses to stress and intimacy and can help when people notice repeated patterns in relationships.

She also uses cognitive behavioural techniques to identify unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns and to try small experiments that change everyday habits. These practical steps often help with anxiety, sleep or mood problems. Deciding which approach to use is collaborative; the therapist will work with the client to test what helps most and adjust the way they work as goals evolve.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm which session formats are currently available before booking. Online or telephone sessions are mentioned in her biography, and checking options helps fit therapy into a busy life. Online work can make it easier to schedule appointments, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed, while telephone sessions can be helpful when clearer phone conversations or lower bandwidth are preferable.