Virginia Bowley, BACP

Virginia Bowley is a counsellor with more than two decades of experience. She trained as a nurse and then spent 25 years as a rehabilitation case manager supporting people who had sustained catastrophic injuries. She is an Accredited Counsellor with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP).

Virginia has worked in many settings since 2001, including bereavement support with Cruse for six years, further education, and private practice. That range means she is used to varied concerns and different ways people reach out for help.

In sessions she aims to listen and respond to the immediate problem. She uses Client-Centred Therapy, which focuses on the person’s own priorities. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to look at thoughts and everyday habits that keep problems going.

She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship difficulties, and major life changes. Additional areas she addresses include addiction, self-esteem, anger, career concerns and issues linked to adoption, ageing, caregiving and chronic illness.

Virginia meets monthly for clinical supervision and follows the BACP code of ethics. Outside work she enjoys swimming, walking, cycling and reading, which she finds help her stay grounded between sessions.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person’s own priorities and aims to create a space where someone can talk about what matters most to them. It is helpful for people needing a non-judgemental place to make sense of grief, relationship concerns or life changes.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and everyday habits affect mood and behaviour. CBT involves identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and trying practical changes, which can suit problems like anxiety, low mood and coping with loss.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the person to decide whether a person-focused way, CBT techniques, or a blend best fits their goals and preferences. That choice can be reviewed as work progresses.

The biography records training in online counselling but does not specify which formats are used. Please confirm the available session formats before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also make it simpler to continue therapy if circumstances change, while the therapist and client agree practical arrangements together.