Cathleen Brentnall, BACP

Cathleen Brentnall is a counsellor who focuses on helping people with thoughts and everyday habits that affect their mood and relationships. She works with issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and relationship difficulties, and she supports people facing parenting challenges, career decisions, or life transitions. Her approach is practical and grounded, aimed at helping people make small changes that improve day-to-day life.

Cathleen draws on a mix of talking therapies to suit each person. She uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help spot and change unhelpful thinking patterns. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to look at how emotions and attachment shape close relationships. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is offered for people affected by trauma or distressing memories.

She describes sessions as tailored to the individual. Conversations explore strengths, values and what gets in the way of meeting goals. Practical techniques and simple routines are introduced to support steady progress between sessions. Faith and prayer can be included where that matters to the person.

Cathleen has 10 years of experience and is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. She combines that background with experience from working in both the UK and the US. Her work aims to be respectful, down-to-earth and focused on what helps in daily life.

People who prefer a conversational, values-focused style may find her approach helpful. She encourages collaboration on goals and strategies that fit each person’s routine and responsibilities.

How Cathleen’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps towards those values. It focuses on practical actions and noticing thoughts without getting stuck in them, which can help with anxiety, depression and coping with change. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) works on spotting patterns of thought and trying new behaviours to reduce distress and improve daily routines. It is often used for anxiety, sleep problems and mood difficulties. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) targets distress linked to traumatic memories by using guided processing to reduce emotional intensity and improve coping.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the person about goals, preferences and what has helped before. Together they will choose or blend methods that suit the individual and adapt them as progress is made, so therapy stays practical and relevant.

Please confirm which session formats are currently offered before booking, as the biography does not list specific options. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, avoid travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also make it simpler to continue work with someone while you are abroad, since international clients are accepted.