Cathleen Brentnall

• Relationships
• Trauma and abuse
• EMDR

About Cathleen

Cathleen Brentnall helps people with relationships, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, self‑esteem, work stress and anxiety. She works with grief, eating and sleeping problems, anger, bipolar and depression, and supports people coping with major life changes and compassion fatigue. She practises using methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally‑Focused Therapy and EMDR. Cathleen is a BACP member and has ten years' experience in counselling in the United Kingdom.

Cathleen uses a client‑centred style that focuses on what matters to the person in front of her. Sessions typically involve talking through current problems, identifying what helps most, and using practical techniques from evidence‑based approaches. She may draw on ACT to clarify values and flexible action, CBT to spot unhelpful thinking patterns, EFT for relationship and emotional work, and EMDR when trauma memories are a focus.

She also offers coaching elements to support practical goal setting and problem solving. Cathleen can discuss how faith and prayer can be included in sessions if a client wishes, while keeping the main focus on agreed goals and coping strategies.

Clients can expect collaborative planning of therapeutic work, with attention to day‑to‑day routines, sleep, eating and stress management. Sessions look at communication, boundaries and decision making where relationship or family issues come up. The emphasis is on clear steps people can try between sessions to test what helps.

Sessions are delivered through the site subscription model, which can be cancelled at any time; fees vary with location.

Therapeutic approaches and how online sessions can help

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most to them and take small steps towards those values while learning to hold difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and testing new ways of responding to reduce distress and improve day‑to‑day functioning. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method sometimes used when trauma memories are causing ongoing distress, aiming to reduce the intensity of those memories through structured processing.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will discuss goals, preferences and the issues you bring, and decide together which methods to try. That collaborative process includes checking how each approach fits your needs and adjusting plans as you progress.

Practical benefits of online sessions include being able to fit counselling around work, family and daily routines and avoiding travel time. Online work can make it simpler to schedule shorter check‑ins when needed or to choose audio‑only when being on camera is not wanted. Confirm the exact session formats available with the service before booking so you know whether video, phone or other options are offered.

Topics Cathleen lists

• Relationship issues
• Trauma and abuse
• Parenting issues
• Self-esteem
• Career difficulties
• Stress and anxiety
• Family conflicts
• Grief
• Eating disorders
• Sleeping disorders
• Anger management
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Coping with life changes
• Coaching
• Compassion fatigue
• ADHD
• Abandonment
• Aging and geriatric issues
• Autism and Asperger Syndrome
• Body image
• Cancer
• Caregiver issues and stress
• Chronic pain, illness, and disability
• Codependency
• Commitment issues
• Communication problems
• Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
• Dependent personality
• Divorce and separation
• Eating and food-related issues
• Emptiness
• Family problems
• Forgiveness
• Guilt and shame
• Hoarding
• Hospice and end-of-life counselling
• Impulsivity
• Infidelity
• Intellectual disability
• Isolation and loneliness
• Jealousy
• Life purpose
• Midlife crisis
• Money and financial issues
• Mood disorders
• Multicultural concerns
• Narcissism
• Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Phobias
• Postpartum depression
• Post-traumatic stress
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Prejudice and discrimination
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Self-love
• Sexuality
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Women's issues
• Workplace issues
• Young adult issues

Ways of working

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Client-Centred Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Somatic Therapy
• Internal Family Systems

Questions about Cathleen

Does she work with anxiety and stress?

Yes. She helps people manage anxiety and stress using techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness‑informed approaches.

What kind of counselling does she offer?

Her approach is client‑centred and practical, combining Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, CBT, Emotionally‑Focused Therapy and EMDR as appropriate.

How much experience does she have?

She has ten years' experience working in counselling and related mental health support.

Is she registered with a professional body and where does she practise?

She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practises in the United Kingdom.

Can I have sessions in languages other than English?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats does she offer?

Please confirm the current session options before booking as the biography does not specify which formats are used on this site.

How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?

Sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time; specific fees vary with location.

How do I start working with her?

Begin by selecting the Talk to a counsellor online button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.