Claire Parris

Online

Attachment-Based Counselling for Adults

Hello, I’m Claire, an integrative counsellor with a particular interest in attachment-based psychotherapy.

I support adults experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-worth, bereavement, trauma, relationship difficulties, neurodiversity and significant life changes. I also work with people who feel disconnected from themselves, find themselves repeatedly people-pleasing or striving for perfection, or notice the same difficult patterns appearing in their relationships.

About me

Before becoming a counsellor, I worked for many years as a teacher. My path into therapy grew from a deep interest in people’s stories, relationships and emotional wellbeing.

My experience in education showed me how powerful it can be to feel genuinely seen, understood and accepted. That understanding remains central to the way I work with clients today.

I offer a calm, compassionate and non-judgemental space where you do not have to pretend that everything is fine or arrive with all the answers.

What is attachment-based counselling?

Attachment-based counselling explores how our earliest relationships may have shaped the way we experience ourselves, other people and the world around us.

When early relationships have been inconsistent, painful, frightening or emotionally unavailable, we may grow up finding it difficult to trust others, ask for what we need or feel secure in relationships.

This can show itself through:

* Anxiety or persistent worry
* Low self-esteem or self-worth
* People-pleasing
* Perfectionism
* Fear of rejection or abandonment
* Difficulty trusting others
* Relationship conflict
* Emotional disconnection
* Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings
* Repeating patterns that are hard to understand or change

These patterns are not personal failings, and they are not fixed. They often developed as understandable ways of coping and protecting yourself.

Through a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship, we can begin to understand these patterns, explore where they came from and consider new ways of relating to yourself and others.

How I can help

People come to counselling for many different reasons. You may be trying to make sense of the past, struggling with something happening now or feeling unsure why life and relationships seem more difficult than they should.

I have experience supporting adults with:

* Anxiety and depression
* Bereavement and loss
* Trauma
* Cancer and serious illness
* Neurodiversity
* Relationship difficulties
* Low confidence and self-worth
* Major life transitions
* Difficult childhood experiences
* Feeling overwhelmed, stuck or disconnected

My work in hospice and oncology settings has given me a deep appreciation of people’s resilience. It has also taught me the importance of having someone who can sit alongside you with compassion, honesty and hope during some of life’s most painful and uncertain moments.

What happens in counselling?

Our sessions will be shaped around you and what you need.

You may want to understand why certain situations trigger such strong feelings, explore experiences from your past or find healthier ways of managing relationships and emotions.

We will work together at a pace that feels safe and manageable. I will not rush you, judge you or expect you to share more than you are ready to explore.

Clients often tell me that they feel comfortable talking to me. My aim is to create a warm and steady therapeutic relationship where you can speak openly, become more curious about yourself and gradually make sense of what feels difficult.

My qualifications and professional training

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Reflective Therapeutic Counselling Practice from the Metanoia Institute and have completed specialist training in Attachment-Based Psychotherapy.

I am continuing to deepen my clinical knowledge through Optima’s Level 7 attachment-based training, which includes advanced work in attachment-focused psychotherapy, clinical supervision and couples therapy.

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and work within the BACP Ethical Framework.

Who do I work with?

I offer counselling to adults aged 18 and over.

Whatever brings you to therapy, you will be met with warmth, curiosity and respect. Together, we can explore what has happened, understand the patterns that may be keeping you stuck and begin to build a more secure and compassionate relationship with yourself and others.