Nicole O'Neill

Flexible afternoon/evening Monday to Friday.

Saturday Flexible Mid morning to late afternoon.

Free 15 min consultation online or phone.

I鈥檓 a Psychotherapist and Counsellor based in Manchester City Centre, offering both in-person and online sessions to suit your needs. My approach is client-led and relational, creating a space where you can feel safe, heard, and fully accepted.鈥�

Clients often describe me as open, grounded, and refreshingly real, someone they can talk to without fear of judgement. I aim to bring warmth, honesty, and authenticity into the therapeutic relationship.

You're welcome to bring all parts of yourself into our sessions, whether that鈥檚 humour, pain, anger, being stuck, grief, shame, or anything else you鈥檙e carrying. I work with adults of all genders and backgrounds, including those from LGBTQIA+ communities, and I have particular experience supporting people exploring emotional health, life transitions, the self, identity, finding autonomy and empowerment, navigating grief (including pet loss), relationship counselling, or recovering from intimate partner abuse, or experiencing family/ sibling abuse.

If you're looking for a space where you can be fully yourself, where your story is honoured and your healing can begin, I鈥檓 here to listen, explore with you, and offer support that can evolve as you do.

My core training is in Person-Centred therapy, which shapes the foundation of how we begin our work together. In our initial sessions, I take a non-directive approach, rather than giving advice or coaching, I offer a calm, open space where you can explore whatever feels most important to you, in your own time and in your own way.

Throughout our conversations, I鈥檒l bring a gentle curiosity, reflecting back what I notice and offering alternative perspectives that may support deeper insight or new understanding.

If you're drawn to explore additional tools or approaches outside of sessions, I also have experience with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and I'm happy to suggest techniques, but only if this feels aligned with your needs, goals, and preferences.

At the heart of my practice is a commitment to offering empathy, honesty, and a genuine human connection. I believe the therapist client dynamic between us is central to the therapeutic counselling process, so my focus is always on creating a space where you feel truly safe, valued, and accepted, just as you are, with whatever you鈥檙e carrying.

I use Person-Centred Therapy to give you the space and support to explore what鈥檚 troubling you, in your own way and at your own pace. Rather than offering direct advice or solutions, I work with you to deeply understand your world from your perspective. I walk alongside you with empathy and care.

This non-directive style of therapy encourages self-exploration and helps you build greater self-awareness and understanding. By being truly heard and accepted, many clients find they鈥檙e able to connect with their own inner resources and discover the answers that feel right for them.

I offer open-ended therapy, which means you can work with me for as long as it feels helpful, whether that鈥檚 a couple of months or over a longer period of time. We鈥檒l regularly check in with how things are going to make sure the therapy continues to feel like the right fit for you.

I usually recommend starting with a minimum of eight sessions, giving us time to build a foundation and explore what鈥檚 bringing you to therapy. Sessions are offered on a weekly or ad hoc basis. In some cases, double sessions can be arranged if it feels appropriate.

Ad hoc sessions can be booked one at a time, with no ongoing commitment. However, please note that times and days may vary depending on availability.

I use a straightforward online booking system for those clients wanting to guarantee future appointments, and offer a waiting list if needed. You can find the appointment booking link on the contact page.

I take an emotional health approach that supports the mental, physical, existential, creative, and if wanted a spiritual dimensions of being human. In a world that often feels chaotic and fast-moving, staying present and finding balance in life can be challenging.

Emotions are at the heart of what it means to be human. They shape our relationships, guide our decisions, inspire our creativity, inform our values, and weave through every culture across time. While emotion isn't exclusive to humans, what sets us apart is the remarkable depth, self-awareness, and symbolic expression with which we feel and communicate.

Humans are not simply rational or emotional, we are both, and often beautifully irrational in emotional ways. That complex interplay can feel overwhelming at times, but it also gives rise to our greatest strengths: our capacity for empathy, our drive to create, our search for meaning, and our ever-evolving sense of what it means to live a good life.

In our first few sessions, my aim is to get a sense of what鈥檚 brought you to therapy and what you鈥檙e hoping to gain from it. These early conversations help us begin to shape a space that feels safe, supportive, and truly yours.

It鈥檚 completely natural to feel nervous, meeting someone new, stepping into a new space (whether in person or online), and feeling unsure about what to say can all feel a bit overwhelming. Please know there鈥檚 no 鈥渞ight鈥� way to do therapy. This is your space, and however you choose to show up is absolutely okay.

If it feels easier to spend the first session chatting about everyday things until you feel more comfortable, that鈥檚 perfectly normal. We鈥檒l go at your pace, and there鈥檚 no pressure to dive into anything before you鈥檙e ready. Alternatively, if it feels right for you and is both safe and appropriate, we can choose to move at a quicker pace to support your needs. 

As an integrative therapist, I use Person-Centred and CBT-informed approaches. If you're feeling lost or stuck, we'll explore what's brought you to therapy and agree on three key areas to focus on. Sessions are shaped by what you bring, and CBT tools help us explore how conscious, and subconscious, thoughts affect emotions, and behaviour. We can also move organically to newer priorities as they arise.