Richard Whitenstall
A pragmatic, client-centred counsellor
About Richard
Richard Whitenstall is a counsellor with eleven years' experience working in mental health and wellbeing. He practises from the United Kingdom and accepts international clients. He uses a client-centred style that aims to help people feel heard and to work at a pace that suits them.
Richard began his counselling work in 2013 with placements at charities supporting people in crisis. He later set up a counselling service for a London charity and has worked on projects supporting LGBT young people at risk of exploitation and abuse.
Background and approach
He is a BACP member, which is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. He helps with common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression and relationship difficulties. He also supports people facing grief, trauma and abuse, issues around intimacy, and problems linked to addiction or sleeping.
Additional focus areas include ADHD, chronic pain and illness, gender dysphoria, and communication problems. Richard uses straightforward, goal-focused methods including cognitive behavioural work and solution-focused techniques alongside a client-centred way of relating. Sessions aim to identify practical steps, work through difficult feelings, and build coping strategies for day-to-day life.
Outside clinical work he has co-authored a book on men’s mental health and co-produces a podcast about wellbeing. He welcomes people who want a collaborative approach to change and practical support for real-life problems.
What Richard works with
How Richard works
Listed by Richard among the ways they work.
Listed by Richard among the ways they work.
Listed by Richard among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
How Richard’s approaches work online
Richard uses a client-centred way of working that focuses on the person’s own experience and what matters to them. This approach helps people feel listened to and sets the pace for change based on individual needs.He also draws on cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions and helps build practical coping strategies for anxiety, low mood and stress. Solution-focused work is used to set clear short-term goals and identify simple steps that move things forward, which is useful for people wanting quick, actionable change.
Finding the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try different techniques and agree what seems most helpful. This collaborative way means methods can be adapted over time as needs and priorities change.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to give practical flexibility. Video calls are useful for a full conversational session. Phone sessions can be lighter on bandwidth and easier to fit into a work break. Live chat or text messaging work well for brief check-ins, written reflections or when not wanting to be on camera. These options make counselling accessible for different schedules and communication styles.
| 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 kinds of problems can be addressed?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How long has he been practising?
Where is he based and what credential does he hold?
Can I work with him if I live outside the UK?
Which session formats are available?
How are sessions charged?
What do I need to do to begin?
Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Intimacy-related issues
- Men's issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Registered with
- BACP
- Languages
- English
