Claire Sims

BACP · United Kingdom

Experienced psychodynamic counsellor and integrative practitioner

Experience

20 years

Practising in

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Session type

Online only

About Claire

Claire Sims is a counsellor who has practised in the United Kingdom for two decades. She brings 20 years of front-line experience to sessions and aims to create a respectful, calm space where people can talk about what feels hard. Claire works at a pace the client chooses and focuses on helping people feel more in control of their lives.

She trained in psychodynamic therapy and says this approach sits at the heart of her work.

Background and approach

Over the years she has broadened her ways of working and now describes herself as an integrative counsellor. That means she draws on a range of clinical experience to meet each person’s needs rather than following a single formula. Claire’s background includes counselling in sexual violence services, helplines, hospice bereavement support and NHS-linked services such as IAPT.

She has run outreach and telephone services, launched video counselling, trained others to work online and led group work on themes like food and mood and anger management. These roles gave her a lot of experience with trauma, grief and crisis work. In sessions she aims to be collaborative and client-led.

Conversations often look at recurring patterns, difficult feelings and how past experiences connect to present behaviour. Claire also offers practical, day-to-day strategies to cope with stress, sleep, parenting pressures and low mood. People contact her about anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, trauma and abuse, addiction, depression, bipolar challenges, ADHD and compassion fatigue.

She also supports issues such as abandonment, attachment concerns, communication problems, divorce and end-of-life matters. Claire uses straightforward language and a steady, experienced approach to help people find firmer footing.

What Claire works with

Primary focus

Also works with

How Claire works

Psychodynamic Therapy

Listed by Claire among the ways they work.

Sessions & fees

Psychodynamic perspectives and online working

Psychodynamic therapy focuses on how early relationships and past experiences shape current feelings and patterns. It often helps with recurring issues like attachment difficulties, feelings of emptiness, abandonment concerns and relationship problems by bringing those patterns into conversation.

Claire also draws on an integrative stance that combines psychodynamic thinking with practical coping skills. This means sessions can include space to talk about painful memories alongside straightforward strategies for sleep, stress and day-to-day functioning. Together the approaches aim to connect insight with useful changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the work and Claire treats this as a collaborative process. She will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, and then adapt the style of sessions to suit each person. That negotiation helps people feel more confident about how therapy will proceed.

Online formats such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video is useful for longer conversations and visual connection, while phone calls can be simpler when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text-based messaging can work well for brief check-ins or when someone prefers typing to speaking. These options increase flexibility and help people access therapy from different locations and schedules.

Session length	Typically 50 minutes
Client ages	Adults, 18 and over
Fees	Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime
Insurance	Not billed directly

Questions people ask

What issues does Claire commonly help with?

She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression and bipolar issues, trauma and abuse, grief and addiction. Additional focuses include relationship and family problems, ADHD, eating and sleeping concerns, and end-of-life matters.

How would you describe her therapy style?

The work is client-led and collaborative. Claire uses psychodynamic principles alongside other approaches to look at patterns, past experiences and practical coping strategies.

What is her professional background?

Claire has 20 years of counselling and related experience across rape crisis services, hospice bereavement support, helplines and IAPT services. She has also coordinated and trained staff for online and telephone services.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is registered with BACP and practises in the United Kingdom.

Which languages are sessions offered in?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Claire offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging as ways to meet clients online.

How are sessions priced?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I start working with her?

Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.