Polly Amies, BACP

Polly Amies is a counsellor who brings decades of lived experience alongside recent private-practice work. She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and has spent the past few years running a Humanistic counselling practice in the UK. Polly writes plainly: starting therapy takes courage, and she aims to make that first step easier to take.

She offers a warm, dynamic style that adapts to each person's needs. Sessions focus on listening, practical thoughts-and-habits changes and building on strengths the client already has. Her background includes supporting people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and grief, and she also works with issues around relationships, addiction and self-esteem.

Polly has long experience in a range of settings and has supported adults, young people and family members over many years. More recently she has concentrated on Humanistic counselling in private practice while drawing on approaches such as client-centred work, cognitive behavioural ideas and mindfulness to inform how she helps people.

Clients can expect conversations that are straightforward and caring. Polly aims to help people notice the thoughts and everyday habits that keep problems in place, and then to try small changes that fit real life. She encourages practical steps alongside reflective talking.

Her practice also covers areas such as neurodiversity, ADHD, ageing and long-term health challenges, plus relationship and intimacy-related concerns. She welcomes people from diverse backgrounds and supports sessions in English.

How therapy approaches and online work can fit your life

Client-centred work focuses on the person in the room. The counsellor listens closely and helps people make sense of their own experiences, building on existing strengths and choices. This approach suits people who want a supportive space to talk and be heard.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and habits. It offers clear strategies and small experiments to shift unhelpful thinking and routines, which can help with anxiety, low mood and sleep problems.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple ways to notice thoughts and bodily reactions without getting swept up by them. It can reduce rumination and make everyday stresses easier to manage.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and help choose methods that suit each person's needs. This is a collaborative process that can change as progress is made.

The profile does not list specific online session formats, so please check which options are currently offered before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also allows people to try different ways of working from wherever they are based while keeping the focus on practical changes to thoughts and everyday habits.