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Robert Winstanley

Counsellor profile

Robert Winstanley, BACP

United Kingdom

BACP counsellor - family and parenting focus

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About

  • Person-Centred approach
  • Solution-Focused work
  • Trauma-informed support

About Robert

Robert Winstanley is a BACP counsellor with nine years' experience working across the UK and Ireland. He focuses on common pressures such as stress, anxiety, depression, work problems and grief, and also helps with relationship strain, parenting concerns and trauma-related issues. He also supports people dealing with addiction, sleep and eating difficulties, and challenges linked to identity or life changes.

He describes his work as person-centred, using that core approach alongside practical, solution-focused tools. That means sessions often begin by listening to what matters most, and then moving to clear, doable steps to reduce immediate pressure. He draws on his experience with Egan’s Skilled Helper Model to structure discussions about goals and options.

Robert has worked in the NHS and employee assistance programmes across England and Ireland since 2016. That background means he is used to short-term and longer-term work and to helping people with workplace stress and critical incident support after traumatic events. He has worked with people from varied cultural and neurodiverse backgrounds.

In sessions he mixes emotional support with practical planning. Conversations aim to identify immediate small changes and then test what works in everyday life. He encourages setting boundaries, clearer communication and simple routines to ease strain at home and work.

People who come to him often want straightforward help with parenting pressures, relationship tension or recovering from a difficult event. To begin, he asks about current priorities and then helps shape a plan that fits those goals.

How sessions work

How his approaches work in online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding what matters to the individual. The therapist reflects feelings and priorities so people feel heard and can clarify their own goals. This approach helps when someone is dealing with relationship tension, parenting strain or ongoing low mood.

Solution-Focused Therapy looks for small, practical steps that make a difference straight away. Sessions concentrate on what would be different if things improved and on testing short experiments between meetings. This is useful for managing stress, work pressures and setting clearer boundaries.

Trauma-Focused work is used when past events continue to affect daily life. It aims to help people process upsetting memories and develop coping strategies for reminders and high-stress moments.

Choosing the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what has or hasn't helped before, then agree a way of working together. That may change as sessions progress, with regular check-ins to make sure the plan remains useful.

Session arrangements should be confirmed before booking because formats are not specified in the profile. Many people find online sessions easier to fit around parenting, work and travel, and they can reduce time spent commuting. They also allow shorter check-ins when days are busy or quieter options when technology or bandwidth are limited.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesGriefCareer difficultiesDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexualitySmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaVisually impairedWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

9+ years

Listed in

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does he help with?

He works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief and relationship and parenting concerns, plus trauma-related issues and addiction.

What is his therapeutic style like?

He uses a person-centred way of working combined with practical, solution-focused techniques and trauma-informed methods when needed.

How much experience does he have?

He has nine years' experience, including work in the NHS and employee assistance programmes across England and Ireland since 2016.

Is he registered with any professional body in the UK?

He is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, shown as BACP in his profile.

Can I work with him if I live outside the UK?

Sessions are offered to international clients in English.

What session formats does he offer?

Please confirm the current session options before booking, as the profile does not specify formats here.

How are costs handled?

Fees vary with location and use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I get started?

Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session.

Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.

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Robert Winstanley

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