- Person-centred focus
- CBT tools available
- BACP accredited
About Paula
Paula Otley is a counsellor with 16 years of experience who helps people facing money-related stress alongside a wide range of life challenges. She meets people where they are and works alongside them to sort out what matters most. Her approach is practical and relational, aiming to build a steady working relationship before tackling specific problems.
Paula began supporting people through bereavement as a volunteer. That work shaped her decision to train as an integrative counsellor. She trained in person-centred and psychodynamic approaches from a relational perspective, and later added cognitive behavioural therapy to her skill set in 2020.
Her background includes roles in GP practice, the NHS, charities, community counselling services, private practice and employee assistance programmes. Those different settings mean she is used to working with varied life circumstances and practical pressures.
In sessions she focuses on forming a sound therapeutic alliance and working together on agreed goals. That can mean talking through unhelpful thinking patterns, looking at relationship and attachment issues, or using mindfulness to manage stress and anxiety.
Paula is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and holds NCPS. She offers work in English and accepts international clients. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions according to the usual booking steps.
How Paula’s approaches translate to online work
Paula blends person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural approaches to match what someone needs. Person-centred work focuses on a respectful, non-judgemental relationship and helps people clarify what they want to change. Psychodynamic ideas look at patterns that repeat in relationships and past influences that shape current feelings. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) gives practical tools to notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviours, which can help with stress, anxiety and coping with life changes.Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. Paula will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, then agree a plan that may mix these approaches. She emphasises working together so the method fits the person rather than the other way round.
If you are considering online work, check the current session options before booking since formats were not specified in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, avoid travel, have shorter check-ins when needed, or choose audio-only conversations if less bandwidth or not being on camera helps. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt techniques like CBT exercises and mindfulness practices to the online setting so the work remains focused and practical.
Areas of focus
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Paula help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, grief and depression as well as money and financial issues, addictions, relationship and intimacy concerns, and many other life challenges.
What style of therapy does she use?
Her work is integrative, rooted in person-centred and psychodynamic ideas and supplemented by cognitive behavioural techniques and mindfulness when useful.
How long has she worked in this field?
She has 16 years of experience, starting with bereavement support volunteering and later moving into trained counselling roles.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and holds NCPS. She practises in the United Kingdom.
Can I work with her if I live outside the UK?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees and payment handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Paula?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.