Valerie Harmer, BACP

Valerie Harmer is a BACP counsellor who helps people deal with stress, anxiety, relationships, grief and everyday habits like sleep and eating. She supports those struggling with low self-esteem, life changes, anger, obsessive behaviours and career concerns. Valerie works with a wide range of relationship and emotional problems and can offer both short-term and longer-term work depending on what someone wants to achieve.

Her style is practical and collaborative. Valerie asks questions to help you see what keeps a problem going and what might need to change. She offers respectful feedback and straightforward guidance rather than vague therapy talk. Sessions aim to break unhelpful cycles and move people toward clearer, manageable steps.

Valerie combines solution-focused ways of working with cognitive behavioural ideas and mindfulness techniques. She has nine years of study and practice, including postgraduate work in counselling and CBT psychotherapy at the University of South Wales and a diploma in solution-focused hypnotherapy. She has also trained as a bereavement counsellor with CRUSE.

She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and follows their code of conduct. Regular supervision and ongoing professional development are part of her practice. Valerie works in the United Kingdom and runs sessions in English.

If you are considering therapy, Valerie will help you set clear goals and choose a practical plan. Her approach focuses on small, realistic changes so you can get back on track and cope better with life’s demands.

How Valerie uses CBT, mindfulness and solution-focused work online

Valerie uses cognitive behavioural ideas to help people notice how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact. CBT techniques often involve looking at thought patterns and trying small behavioural experiments to test new ways of coping, which can suit anxiety, low mood and obsessive behaviours.

Mindfulness therapy is used to help people develop present-moment awareness and reduce automatic reactions. Simple breathing and attention exercises are taught to help with stress, sleep and managing upsetting thoughts.

Solution-focused work concentrates on small, realistic steps and on what people want to be different. It is goal-oriented and works well when someone wants brief, practical change rather than long explorations of the past.

Finding the right blend is part of the process. Valerie will work with each person to decide which approach, or mix of approaches, fits their needs, goals and preferences. That choice is collaborative and can be reviewed as therapy progresses.

The original biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Many people find online therapy helpful because it can fit around work and family commitments, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. Talk with the therapist about practical arrangements and what will best fit your routine.