Claire Barnes

A Little About Me and StillPoint

Hi, I’m Claire, an integrative counsellor and the person behind StillPoint.

First things first, I know reaching out for counselling can feel like a big step. Especially if you’re someone who’s spent years holding everything together, putting everyone else first or telling yourself you’ll be fine once things settle down.

But what happens when they don’t settle down? Or when you realise you’ve been so busy getting through life that you’ve barely had a chance to stop and think about how you’re actually feeling?

Maybe you’re an overthinker (and by that I mean you’ve already had seventeen different conversations in your head before breakfast!). Maybe relationships feel complicated, your emotions sometimes seem to take over, or you find yourself reacting to situations and wondering afterwards, “Where on earth did that come from?”

Or maybe you just don’t feel quite like yourself anymore.

Whatever it is, you don’t need to arrive with all the answers. That’s part of what we can work out together.

I’m not the kind of counsellor who’ll sit silently for 50 minutes, occasionally nodding and asking, “And how does that make you feel?”

Of course, I’ll listen. Really listen. But I’ll also be curious about you. I’ll ask questions, share observations, offer different perspectives and gently challenge things when I feel it might help. And yes, sometimes we’ll laugh too!

I believe counselling should feel like a genuine conversation, not something intimidating where you’re worrying about saying the right thing.

For me, some of the most meaningful moments happen when something suddenly starts to make sense. When you begin to recognise why certain things affect you so deeply, where those familiar patterns come from, or why you keep putting everyone else’s needs before your own.

Those little moments of “Oh! That actually makes sense now!” can be incredibly powerful.

And honestly, that’s one of the things I love most about this work.

How I Work

I’m an integrative counsellor, which is really just a way of saying I don’t believe one approach works for everyone.

We’re all different. We’ve had different experiences, learned different ways of coping and developed our own ways of understanding ourselves and the world around us.

So why would I expect everyone to benefit from exactly the same kind of counselling?

My approach is rooted in person-centred therapy, which means I believe you are the expert on your own life. My role isn’t to tell you who you should be or how you should feel. It’s to get alongside you, understand your experiences and help you explore things in a way that feels right for you.

The relationship we build is incredibly important to me. I want you to feel comfortable enough to be yourself, whether that means talking about something you’ve never told anyone, admitting something you’re struggling with or simply saying, “I haven’t got a clue where to start today.”

We can start there!

I draw on different therapeutic approaches, including attachment theory, psychodynamic understanding, CBT and emotional regulation techniques, depending on what might be helpful.

I’m particularly interested in ADHD, rejection sensitivity (RSD), attachment, relationships, emotional regulation and how our earlier experiences can shape the way we see ourselves, respond to situations and connect with other people.

I also support people experiencing anxiety, trauma, grief, low self-worth, chronic pain, stress and significant life changes.

Sometimes we’ll explore your past and how it might still be showing up in your life today. Other times we’ll focus on what’s happening right now, making sense of your thoughts and feelings or finding practical ways to manage things differently.

And sometimes, you might simply need somewhere to put everything down for a while without feeling you have to hold it all together.

There’s no script, no pressure to tell me everything straight away and certainly no expectation that you need to be anyone other than yourself.

We’ll work it out together.

What I Offer

I offer online counselling across the UK for adults and young people aged 16 and over.

Sessions are £50 for 50 minutes, with reduced rates of £30 available for eligible students and people receiving benefits.

I also offer a free 15-minute introductory telephone conversation.

Nothing formal or intimidating, just an opportunity for us to have a chat. You can tell me a little about what’s brought you to counselling, ask me anything you’d like to know and get a feel for whether I’m someone you’d feel comfortable talking to.

Because that matters.

You could have the most qualified counsellor in the world, but if you don’t feel comfortable, understood or able to be yourself, it’s going to be difficult to do meaningful work together.

There’s no pressure to book, no expectation to commit to a certain number of sessions and no awkward sales pitch!

If we decide to work together, we’ll regularly check in about how things are going, what you’re finding helpful and whether we’re focusing on what matters most to you.

Finally…

Something I really want people to understand is that you don’t have to be at breaking point to come to counselling.

You don’t need a diagnosis, a crisis or a particularly dramatic story to justify wanting some support.

Maybe you’re tired of overthinking everything. Maybe you’re noticing patterns in your relationships that you’d really like to understand. Maybe you’ve spent so long being everything to everyone else that you’re not entirely sure who you are underneath it all.

Or maybe you’re simply curious about yourself and want to understand why you think, feel and behave the way you do.

All of those are perfectly good reasons to come to counselling.

I want StillPoint to feel like somewhere you can come as you are. Somewhere you don’t have to pretend you’re fine, explain away your feelings or worry about being judged.

A space where we can be curious, have honest conversations, make connections and hopefully help you understand yourself a little better along the way.

Because sometimes understanding ourselves is where things really begin to change.

StillPoint,  a place to pause, reflect and grow.

And if you’re looking for counselling with a little warmth, genuine connection and absolutely no unnecessary waffle, I think we might get along just fine!

Areas I’m Particularly Passionate About

One of my biggest interests in counselling is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), particularly the way perceived rejection can affect our emotions, relationships, self-worth and everyday experiences.

I’m fascinated by the connection between the brain, nervous system and emotional responses. I particularly enjoy working with emotional regulation, helping people understand not just what they’re feeling, but why they’re feeling it and what might be happening beneath the surface.

I love those moments in counselling when someone begins to recognise a pattern, understands a reaction they’ve spent years criticising themselves for, or realises that their emotions aren’t simply coming out of nowhere. For me, understanding is often the starting point for meaningful change.

Another area I’m particularly passionate about is supporting families who have experience of the care system, including parents, carers and young people who are or have been looked after.

I’m interested in the emotional impact of family separation, disrupted attachments, difficult relationships with services and the challenges families can face when navigating complex systems.

Advocacy, fairness and helping people feel heard are values that matter enormously to me. I recognise how overwhelming it can feel when decisions are being made about your life or family, particularly when you feel your voice isn’t being listened to.

I believe people deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion and understanding, regardless of their circumstances or experiences.

My approach isn’t about taking sides or making assumptions. It’s about being curious, recognising the wider circumstances affecting someone’s wellbeing and providing a space where they can explore their experiences without judgement.

Ultimately, I’m passionate about helping people better understand themselves, develop confidence in expressing their needs and recognise that their experiences don’t have to define their future.

Fees and Concessions

I believe counselling should be accessible, and that finances shouldn’t always be a barrier to getting the support you need.

My standard fee is £50 for a 50-minute counselling session.

I also offer a reduced rate of £30 per session for:

• Students
• Armed Forces personnel and veterans
• NHS staff
• Individuals receiving means-tested benefits

These reduced rates are my way of making counselling a little more affordable and recognising those who support others, alongside people who may be experiencing financial pressures.

I offer a free 15-minute introductory telephone consultation, giving us a chance to have a chat, discuss what you’re looking for and see whether I’m the right counsellor for you.

There’s no pressure to commit to a set number of sessions. We can work together at a pace that suits you, regularly reviewing what feels helpful.

Good mental health support shouldn’t feel out of reach, and I’ll always aim to make StillPoint as welcoming and accessible as possible.

A Little More About Me, Personality and Values

I’d describe myself as warm, down-to-earth, curious and someone who genuinely loves understanding people. I’m naturally inquisitive (some might say I ask a lot of questions!), and I’ve always been fascinated by what makes us who we are, why we behave the way we do and how our experiences shape us.

I value honesty, kindness, authenticity and treating people as individuals. I’m not particularly interested in putting people into boxes or making assumptions about who they are based on a diagnosis, their background or the choices they’ve made. I believe everyone has a story, and there’s usually a lot more going on beneath the surface than we first realise.

I’m a big believer in being human first and a counsellor second. That doesn’t mean I take my work any less seriously, quite the opposite. It means I understand that life can be messy, people are complicated and sometimes the best thing we can offer someone is a genuine connection without judgement.

I have a sense of humour, and I’m not afraid to use it when it’s appropriate. I believe laughter and difficult emotions can exist in the same space, and counselling doesn’t always have to feel heavy to be meaningful.

I’m also someone who values personal growth, both in myself and in others. I don’t believe we ever reach a point where we’ve got ourselves completely figured out. We’re constantly learning, changing and occasionally getting things spectacularly wrong along the way!

Fairness, inclusion and accessibility are particularly important to me. I’m passionate about challenging stigma around mental health and creating spaces where people feel heard, respected and understood, especially those who may have felt overlooked or misunderstood in the past.

Above all, I believe people deserve to be met with compassion rather than judgement, curiosity rather than assumptions, and encouragement rather than expectations.

I don’t believe my role is to tell you who you should be. It’s to help you feel more comfortable understanding and being who you already are, while making the changes that matter to you.

That’s the person and the values I bring to StillPoint.