Virginia Bowley, BACP

Virginia Bowley is a counsellor with 24 years of experience supporting people through major life changes. She trained as a nurse and spent 25 years as a rehabilitation case manager helping people adjust after 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, private practice, and further education. That variety gives her a broad view of the challenges people face. She has also completed training in online counselling and attends monthly supervision.

In sessions she draws on client-centred ways of working that prioritise the person's perspective. She also uses cognitive behavioural techniques to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviours. The approach is practical and aimed at daily life changes rather than jargon or long theory talks.

People come to her for many concerns including grief, stress, anxiety, relationship problems, addiction issues and coping with illness or disability. She also supports those dealing with adoption and foster care topics, ageing and caregiver strain, and isolation or loneliness. Trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem and career questions are other areas she sees.

Her background in nursing and rehabilitation informs a hands-on, realistic style. She enjoys swimming, walking, cycling and reading outside of work. Prospective clients can expect steady, experienced support that focuses on what helps in life now.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person's experience by listening closely and following their lead. Online sessions using this approach let the counsellor work at the client's pace, emphasise understanding, and help the client make decisions that suit their life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) involves spotting thought patterns that cause distress and trying small practical changes in thinking and behaviour. Delivered online, CBT can include clear homework tasks and brief behavioural experiments that fit around everyday routines.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk about goals and preferences, try options, and adapt methods over time so the work feels useful and relevant to the client's situation.

The practical benefits of online therapy often include easier scheduling and fitting sessions into a busy week. Online work can reduce travel time and make follow-up brief tasks easier to complete between meetings. Clients should confirm current session options before booking to know what formats are available, and then discuss timing and practical arrangements when they first meet.