Sarah Tolley

Sarah Tolley NCPS is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with ten years' experience. She has run a private practice and worked in education supporting pupils with low mood and suicidal urges. Her work has also included supporting people from a wide range of backgrounds, including those in the LGBTQ+ and transgender communities.

Sarah focuses on helping people who are stressed, anxious or struggling with low self-esteem and depression. She also works with those recovering from trauma and abuse, and with people managing anger and relationship stress. Sessions aim to help people regain a sense of calm and clearer direction.

Her background includes work with adolescents and adults across different socioeconomic, ethnic and religious groups. Sarah describes a practical, solution-focused style that encourages mindfulness and self-belief while addressing life patterns and personal history.

Sarah draws on a mix of approaches to match a person's needs. She uses attachment-based ideas to look at relationship patterns, cognitive behavioural techniques to tackle thought habits, and EMDR for trauma work when appropriate. She also brings client-centred listening and skills from dialectical behaviour therapy where emotional regulation is needed.

People who come to Sarah often want a straightforward, respectful counsellor who listens and helps set manageable goals. She aims to create a calm space where people can talk through painful experiences and begin to build more stable routines and beliefs about themselves.

How different approaches work in online therapy

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and how early bonds affect current trust and safety. Online sessions can help people spot repeated patterns and practise new ways of relating.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. In remote sessions this often means setting practical tasks between meetings and using short exercises to test new thinking.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, is used to address distressing memories linked to trauma. When EMDR is offered it is guided step by step and paired with grounding and coping skills to manage strong emotions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss options and decide together which methods suit the person’s needs, goals and preferences. This is a collaborative process that can change as progress is made.

Confirm the exact session formats before booking, as the biography does not list them. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow follow-up practice between meetings. They also make it simpler to have shorter check-ins or evening appointments where needed.