Claire Payne, NCPS

Claire Payne is an NCPS counsellor who aims to make starting therapy feel manageable. She speaks plainly and offers steady, practical support for people facing difficult life moments. Claire invites clients to take the first step and walks alongside them as they begin to heal.

Claire works from a private practice in Torbay, Devon, and offers face-to-face sessions locally as well as remote work nationwide. Her background includes three years in direct counselling practice alongside over 30 years in social care roles, which inform how she understands trauma and stress. She draws on several ways of working to match each person’s needs.

Her approach blends person-centred listening with Gestalt and cognitive behavioural techniques. Claire can also use sand tray work for people who find it hard to put feelings into words. She adapts the pace and style of sessions to suit each person rather than following a fixed plan.

Common concerns she helps with include family difficulties, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, career challenges and compassion fatigue. Additional areas of focus include abandonment, attachment issues, caregiver stress, communication problems, isolation and midlife crisis. Claire sees people for short-term or longer-term work depending on the aim.

Sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, clients use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to the therapist’s availability.

Therapeutic approaches and how online work can fit

Claire draws on person-centred practice, Gestalt ideas and cognitive behavioural techniques in her work. Person-centred approaches focus on listening carefully and reflecting what matters to the client, which helps when someone needs a non-judgemental space to speak. Gestalt ideas encourage noticing present-moment experience and patterns, which can help with stuck feelings and relationship issues. Cognitive behavioural techniques look at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and offer practical steps to test and change unhelpful patterns.

Finding the right mix is a collaborative process. Claire will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and together they decide which approach or combination feels most useful. This conversation continues as therapy unfolds so methods can be adjusted if needed.

Practical benefits of remote work include easier fitting of sessions around work and family commitments and avoiding travel time. Remote sessions can also allow a shorter check-in when life is busy, or a conversation without needing to be on camera if that suits someone better. The precise session formats available should be confirmed before booking so clients know what to expect.