Dawn Brearley

• Stress and anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Grief and loss

About Dawn

Dawn Brearley works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, grief and life transitions, using a client-centred approach mixed with practical methods such as cognitive behavioural techniques and mindfulness. She is registered with NCPS, the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, and has seven years of counselling experience in the United Kingdom.

Dawn sees individuals and couples and focuses on how attachment and family patterns affect current relationships. In sessions she helps people talk through relationship problems, communication difficulties and issues around commitment and intimacy. She also supports those coping with loss, long-term illness, caregiving strain and end-of-life matters.

Her style starts from the client’s concerns and builds on what is already working for them. Practical tools from cognitive behavioural therapy are used when helpful to manage anxiety, low mood and unhelpful thinking patterns. Mindfulness techniques are offered to help people manage stress and stay present between sessions.

Dawn also draws on narrative and existential ideas to help people make sense of major life changes, feelings of emptiness or questions about purpose. When family history or attachment problems are relevant, she considers systemic patterns that shape relationships and behaviour.

Dawn’s background includes a Relate qualification in relationship counselling alongside her NCPS registration, and she brings seven years of practice to each client contact.

How her approaches work in online sessions

Attachment-based work looks at how early relationship patterns affect present behaviour and feelings; online sessions can be used to notice recurring patterns and try different ways of relating. Client-centred counselling focuses on the person’s own experience and priorities, with the counsellor following the client’s lead and reflecting what matters most to them. Cognitive behavioural work involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing practical changes in behaviour to reduce anxiety and low mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Dawn will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, and will adjust methods as sessions progress in a collaborative way.

Confirm the exact session options before booking, as the profile does not list formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. They also make it possible to maintain continuity if a client moves location or is abroad, while the counsellor and client decide together how best to structure appointments to suit everyday life.

Topics Dawn lists

• Stress and anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Grief
• Self-esteem
• Depression
• Addictions
• Family conflicts
• Trauma and abuse
• Intimacy-related issues
• Anger management
• Career difficulties
• Coping with life changes
• Compassion fatigue
• Abandonment
• Aging and geriatric issues
• Attachment issues
• Cancer
• Caregiver issues and stress
• Commitment issues
• Communication problems
• Control issues
• Divorce and separation
• Emptiness
• Family of origin issues
• Family problems
• Forgiveness
• Guilt and shame
• Hospice and end-of-life counselling
• Infidelity
• Isolation and loneliness
• Jealousy
• Life purpose
• Men's issues
• Midlife crisis
• Money and financial issues
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Women's issues
• Workplace issues

Ways of working

• Attachment-Based Therapy
• Client-Centred Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Existential Therapy
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy

Questions about Dawn

Does she work with anxiety?

Yes. Anxiety and stress are listed among her main areas of work and she uses CBT and mindfulness to help manage symptoms.

What kind of counselling does she offer?

She works from a client-centred base and integrates cognitive behavioural, attachment-based, existential and mindfulness approaches.

How much experience does she have?

She has seven years of counselling experience in the United Kingdom.

Is she registered or accredited?

She is registered with NCPS, the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society.

Can I have sessions in English from abroad?

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the profile.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I get started?

Select the Talk to a counsellor online button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.