Jennifer Blaney-Sutton

How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to actions that reflect their values. It often helps with anxiety, low mood and feeling stuck by focusing on what matters most rather than eliminating difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and introduces practical strategies to test and change unhelpful patterns. This approach can be useful for anxiety, depression and coping with stress. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships shape current patterns and emotional responses, helping people understand trust, boundaries and closeness in relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk through options and try methods that suit the person's goals and preferences. That collaborative process may mean mixing techniques from different approaches to find what helps in day-to-day life.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can fit around busy days and require less bandwidth, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging supports people who prefer writing. These formats make it easier to attend regularly, manage appointments around work or caring responsibilities, and continue therapy when travel or time is limited.