Counsellor profile
Michelle Preston, BACP
United Kingdom
BACP counsellor - anxiety and relationships
Continue with MichelleWhere Michelle stands
- Credentials
- BACP
- Registration
- BACP, United Kingdom / 395891
- Experience
- 5 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- United Kingdom
About
- ACT and CBT methods
- Attachment focus
- Emotion regulation skills
About Michelle
Michelle Preston is a BACP counsellor practising in the United Kingdom with five years of professional experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief and depression, and she also helps with self-esteem and coping with life changes. Michelle describes helping clients who are worried about relationship and family issues, and those who struggle with patterns such as people-pleasing and codependency.
Her approach is straightforward and conversational. Sessions focus on noticing what matters most to the client and on small, practical steps that can reduce overwhelm. She uses evidence-informed methods to help people manage strong emotions and unhelpful thinking patterns. Michelle draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to support clients in changing what they do, as well as Attachment-Based ideas to look at relationship patterns.
In practical terms she will listen to how a person copes day to day, then suggest tools they can try between sessions. That might include simple mindfulness practices, behavioural experiments, or ways to respond differently in difficult conversations. Michelle also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques for emotion regulation and distress tolerance when needed.
People who contact her are often trying to stop putting others first, learn to set clearer boundaries, or find their footing after loss or big change. Michelle invites clients to work together on realistic goals and everyday changes that fit real life. She asks clients to choose the next step by completing a short questionnaire and arranging a first session.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online counselling
Michelle commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in her work. ACT focuses on clarifying values and taking steps that matter, while learning to live with difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them. CBT looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and teaches practical experiments to change unhelpful patterns.She also draws on Attachment-Based ideas to look at relationship patterns and how early connections influence current responses. These approaches suit people who want concrete tools as well as a chance to reflect on repeated relationship dynamics. Choosing the right mix of methods is a collaborative process; the therapist will work with clients to match approaches to their goals and preferences over the first sessions.
Confirm the session formats available before booking, since the profile does not list specific options. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day - for example a shorter check-in during a lunch break, or sessions that avoid travel time. It can also allow some people to use quieter surroundings, or to choose audio rather than video when that feels better. Registered or accredited professionals can help adapt exercises so they work well in whatever format is offered.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, self-esteem and relationship and family concerns. Additional focus areas include codependency, attachment issues and workplace difficulties.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is conversational and practical, combining client-centred listening with skills from CBT, ACT and DBT. Sessions focus on small, doable changes and emotion regulation techniques.
How much experience does she have?
She has five years of professional experience working with adults on issues such as anxiety, grief and low self-esteem.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and works in the United Kingdom.
Can I work with her if I live outside the UK?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently taking international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
Please confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the profile. The site will show the available ways to meet when you start the booking flow.
How are costs handled?
Session cost varies with location and the service uses a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I get started with a first session?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session from the choices given.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.