David Atlay

David Atlay is a counsellor with ten years' experience who works from a person-centred perspective. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). David aims to create a calm space where people can talk through what feels overwhelming and begin to make practical changes.

He focuses on reducing anxiety and stress, easing depressive patterns, and tackling behaviours that get in the way of daily life. Sessions are conversational and paced to the person. David listens without judgement and helps clients identify realistic next steps they can try between meetings.

David also supports people dealing with relationship strain, grief, career pressures, addiction concerns and parenting stress. He works with issues around self-esteem, body image and attachment difficulties, and offers help around life transitions and coping with change.

Clinically, he draws on Client-Centred Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in ways that suit each person. That means offering empathic listening alongside practical strategies to change thinking and behaviour when that is helpful.

People who come to David often want clear, down-to-earth guidance and a therapist who will help them break problems into manageable steps. He encourages self-compassion and gradual progress rather than quick fixes. If the approach sounds like a fit, the next step is to use the Start Therapy button and complete the short matching questionnaire.

How these approaches are used in online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy places the person's experience at the heart of the work. The therapist listens closely, reflects what is said and helps the client make their own sense of problems. This approach can help with feelings of overwhelm, low self-worth and relationship concerns.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses practical exercises and simple experiments to test unhelpful thinking and build new habits. CBT is often helpful for anxiety, low mood and behavioural patterns that cause distress.

David sees choosing a therapeutic approach as a collaborative process. He will discuss options with the client and agree what to try based on goals, preferences and how a person responds. That shared decision-making aims to make sessions feel relevant and manageable.

If you are thinking about online sessions, please confirm the current session formats before booking as they are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use tools and worksheets during or between sessions to practise new skills.