Bridget Blackford-Read, NCPS

Bridget Blackford-Read is an NCPS psychotherapeutic counsellor working in the United Kingdom with three years of professional experience. She supports people coping with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem and life changes. Bridget names codependency among the issues she helps with and aims to work at a pace that feels manageable.

She uses an integrative approach so sessions can include different ways of working. That might mean looking at how past relationships affect current behaviour, trying short practical exercises between meetings, or using grounding and mindfulness techniques in session. Bridget encourages people to describe their experiences in their own words rather than fitting them into a medical label.

Bridget has also worked for UK charities as a caseworker and manager supporting victims of crime and witnesses in Crown and Magistrates courts. She spends time providing trauma-based counselling through a charity affiliate role and brings that experience into one-to-one work. This background informs how she talks about difficult events and legal or advocacy contexts when they arise.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to the person’s needs. Bridget aims to respond to messages quickly, usually the same day or within 48 hours on weekdays, and generally responds on Monday for weekend messages. She explains that change can feel risky and that she will support people through the process while working at their pace.

Before a first meeting she may suggest simple activities to try between sessions, such as journalling or practising grounding. These are used to help people notice patterns and try small changes outside the counselling hour.

How her approaches translate to online counselling