I’m Paula Battle, a qualified counsellor (MBACP) offering compassionate, confidential, one-to-one therapy in Buckingham. I’m based in Maids Moreton, within easy driving distance, but walkable too if that’s your preference.
I work with adults, typically aged 25+ through face-to-face (f2f), walk-and-talk, or telephone therapy sessions.
If you’ve got this far, you’ve already made the decision that it’s time to talk. The next step is deciding how, and who with. This page can help you work out whether we might be a good fit, and for more, you can visit my about me page.
A local therapist, on your doorstep
Finding the right counsellor matters more than finding the nearest one, but being local helps. Sessions in and around Buckingham mean a short journey at a time when you may not have a lot of spare energy, and come with the reassurance that I’m a ‘real person’ rather than an AI bot.
I work with clients from Buckingham and the surrounding area, including Maids Moreton, Finmere, Gawcott, Tingewick, Brackley, Winslow and Milton Keynes. If you’re a little further out, telephone sessions remove the travel altogether, and you’ll have the flexibility to mix and match between f2f and telephone to suit you and your schedule.
How I work
I offer a few ways to meet, so you can choose what feels right for you:
Face-to-face sessions, in my calm, private therapy room in Maids Moreton, just up the road from Buckingham. Ideal for clients who want to be in the room.
Walk-and-talk sessions, where we talk side by side while walking outdoors. Some people find it easier to open up this way, and the added benefit of being in nature can never be overstated.
Telephone sessions can suit clients with specific accessibility needs or who prefer the convenience of talking from a private space of their own.
My approach is integrative and pluralistic, which might mean very little to you. Essentially, I’m qualified in a mix of three core therapeutic approaches – person-centred, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and transactional analysis (TA). In additional I draw from ongoing investment in my practice and feedback from you about what works for you.
In real terms it means that you are at the centre of the work. We work at your pace and we stay focused on what matters to you. You are not having therapy ‘done to you’.
What I can help with
People come to me at many different points in their lives. You don’t need to have it worked out before you get in touch. Working out what’s going on right now and how you got to this point is ‘the work’, and we do it together.
If there’s a golden thread that runs throughout my client work, it’s around seeking joy. As adults we get caught in the day-to-day of grown-up life and start to lose touch with our inner child. I’ll encourage that reconnection and the healing that comes with tuning back in to all parts of yourself.
I’m experienced in supporting clients through anxiety, depression and stress, panic attacks, low self-esteem and confidence, self-harm, anger, and difficulties in relationships. I also work with bereavement, grief and loss, and with trauma, including experiences of abuse. A particular strength is in working with neurodivergence, including late diagnosis and the challenges of adapting to that change.
If anxiety in particular is what’s bringing you here, you may find my page on counselling for anxiety helpful.
If what you’re carrying isn’t on that list, that’s fine too. A short conversation is the best way to see whether I can help.
Starting therapy
Starting is rarely easy. Searching for a therapist, sending that first message, stepping into the room or answering the phone for the first time, all of it can feel like a lot when your resilience is already stretched. It’s a significant step, and one that’s important to acknowledge.
We begin with a consultation. If this is face-to-face it will give you insight of how it is to be in the room. It’s a chance to see how it feels to talk to me, to ask anything you want to ask, and to decide together whether we’re suited to working with each other. There’s no obligation to continue beyond it.
Get in touch
When you’re ready, you can request a consultation using the form, or message me on WhatsApp. I’ll reply with my current availability and we can take it from there.
You may also find answers in my FAQs, or you can read more about me first.