Dr. Pegah Houshmand

• Stress and anxiety
• Attachment work
• CBT and ACT

About Pegah

Dr Pegah Houshmand works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma and a wide range of related concerns using an integrative approach that draws on evidence-informed models. She is HCPC registered and has 12 years of professional experience in NHS and private settings.

She trained to doctoral level in counselling psychology and uses a mix of methods such as cognitive behavioural techniques and attachment-focused work. Sessions are described as collaborative, with the counsellor helping clients identify what matters to them and setting goals together.

Her caseload has included grief, addictions, eating and sleeping difficulties, intimacy-related issues, bipolar-related concerns, ADHD and compassion fatigue. She also notes experience with body image, chronic illness and caregiver stress, and with people exploring alternative sexual cultures such as BDSM and kink.

The counsellor has worked with adults and couples and has training experience with children and young people through Place2Be. She offers parent sessions to reflect on a child’s emotional needs and to discuss practical strategies to support development.

Her style combines practical CBT strategies with acceptance and commitment ideas and emotionally-focused work to address relationship patterns. Clients can expect to work on concrete ways to manage symptoms, understand attachment patterns, and practise changes between sessions.

How therapy approaches are used in online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice and accept difficult thoughts and feelings while choosing actions that matter to them; it can help with anxiety, low mood and life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and helps people understand how early bonds affect current difficulties, which is useful for relationship and intimacy issues.

Client-Centred Therapy emphasises a collaborative, non-directive way of working where the counsellor listens closely and supports clients to make their own decisions; this approach can help people build self-esteem and clarify values. The counsellor will discuss these ways of working with clients and agree together which approaches suit their goals and preferences.

Finding the right fit is part of the work. The counsellor will check what feels helpful, adjust methods over time, and plan practical steps between sessions. This shared process helps shape what therapy looks like week to week.

The original biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling around work, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Registered professionals can adapt exercises, homework and discussion to the online setting so clients can practise skills in everyday life.

Topics Pegah lists

• Stress and anxiety
• LGBT
• Grief
• Self-esteem
• Depression
• Addictions
• Relationship issues
• Family conflicts
• Trauma and abuse
• Intimacy-related issues
• Eating disorders
• Sleeping disorders
• Parenting issues
• Anger management
• Career difficulties
• Bipolar disorder
• Coping with life changes
• Coaching
• Compassion fatigue
• ADHD
• Abandonment
• Adoption and foster care
• Aging and geriatric issues
• Antisocial personality
• Attachment issues
• Autism and Asperger Syndrome
• Avoidant personality
• BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
• Blended family issues
• Body image
• Cancer
• Caregiver issues and stress
• Chronic pain, illness, and disability
• Co-morbidity
• Codependency
• Commitment issues
• Communication problems
• Control issues
• Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
• Dependent personality
• Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
• Dissociation
• Divorce and separation
• Domestic violence
• Drug and alcohol addiction
• Eating and food-related issues
• Emptiness
• Family of origin issues
• Family problems
• Fatherhood issues
• Fertility issues
• First responder issues
• Forgiveness
• Gender dysphoria
• Guilt and shame
• HIV and AIDS
• Hoarding
• Hospice and end-of-life counselling
• Immigration issues
• Impulsivity
• Infidelity
• Intellectual disability
• Isolation and loneliness
• Jealousy
• Life purpose
• Men's issues
• Midlife crisis
• Veteran and armed forces issues
• Money and financial issues
• Mood disorders
• Multicultural concerns
• Narcissism
• Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Paranoia
• Personality disorders
• Phobias
• Polyamory and non-monogamous relationships
• Postpartum depression
• Post-traumatic stress
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Prejudice and discrimination
• Process addictions
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Self-harm
• Self-love
• Sex addiction
• Sexual assault and abuse
• Sexual dysfunction
• Sexuality
• Quitting smoking or vaping
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Somatization
• Traumatic brain injury
• Trichotillomania
• Visually impaired
• Women's issues
• Workplace issues
• Young adult issues

Ways of working

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Attachment-Based Therapy
• Client-Centred Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Existential Therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Imago Relationship Therapy
• Jungian Therapy
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing
• Narrative Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Somatic Therapy
• Trauma-Focused Therapy
• Internal Family Systems

Questions about Pegah

Does she work with anxiety?

Yes. She works with anxiety, stress, panic and related concerns using practical strategies and discussion.

What kind of counselling does she offer?

She uses an integrative approach drawing on CBT, attachment-based methods, ACT and emotionally-focused work to suit different needs.

How long has she been practising?

She has 12 years of professional experience working in NHS and private settings.

Is she registered and where does she practise?

She is HCPC registered and practises in the United Kingdom.

Can I have sessions in English if I live abroad?

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current options before booking.

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 then schedule a first session.