Margaret Brannigan , BACP

Margaret Brannigan is a counsellor who focuses on how thoughts and everyday habits shape wellbeing. She uses a person-centred way of working that puts the client's experience first. Margaret is BACP registered and has 11 years of counselling experience across a wide range of concerns.

She helps people with stress, anxiety and depression by listening, reflecting and helping them notice patterns that get in the way. She also supports those facing trauma, grief, addiction and relationship or intimacy challenges. Practical issues such as sleep, eating, anger and low self-esteem are part of her day-to-day work.

Margaret combines client-centred care with approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness exercises and motivational interviewing. She uses these methods to help people spot unhelpful thoughts, try small changes and build coping habits that fit their life. Sessions are conversational and focused on real steps forward.

Her background includes work with people who have ADHD and with those managing chronic illness, caregiving stress and bereavement. She also offers support around attachment, communication and family-related pressures, helping people sort priorities and set boundaries.

Margaret aims to create a warm, respectful space where people feel heard and understood. To begin you complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

How therapy approaches translate to online sessions

Client-centred work emphasises listening and following the client's lead. In practice this means the counsellor creates space to hear what matters most and helps the person name their priorities and next steps. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on spotting thought patterns and testing small experiments to change habits, which can be practised between sessions and reviewed together.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, then try methods that suit the person. That collaborative process helps shape a plan that fits everyday life and changes if needed.

If you are considering online therapy, check which session formats are offered before booking. Confirm current options when you complete the matching questionnaire and schedule your first appointment. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work or caregiving, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and make it simpler to try techniques at home and bring observations back into sessions for discussion.