Theresa Babbs-Durrant

I provide both in-person and online sessions between Monday - Thursday. For those wishing to attend in person, I work in Windermere, Cumbria Monday to Wednesday and Keighley, West Yorkshire on Thursday. 

Many people come to therapy feeling overwhelmed, isolated, stuck or quietly lost. You may be living with the effects of complex trauma, grief or loss, or struggling with anxiety or low mood that feels hard to explain or shift. Often, these experiences have been carried alone for a long time. Therapy can offer a compassionate space to begin making sense of what you have lived through and how it continues to shape you.

I am a trauma-informed counsellor and NLP coach, and I believe deeply in our human capacity for healing, growth and renewal. At the heart of my work is the belief that being truly heard, witnessed and understood within a safe therapeutic relationship can be profoundly healing. I aim to offer a steady, supportive presence where you can explore your inner world at your own pace, without judgement or pressure.

I work with empathy, curiosity and care, supporting you to gently explore your thoughts, feelings and lived experiences. Together, we may notice patterns, uncover meaning and develop new perspectives. When working with complex trauma or grief, therapy is often about creating safety first, and sometimes about sitting with what is, rather than trying to fix or change it. Choice, pacing and compassion are central to my approach.

Alongside counselling, my background in NLP coaching can support practical change where this feels appropriate, helping you develop greater awareness of how your mind works and reconnect with your inner resources. Over time, therapy can support increased self-compassion, emotional resilience and a deeper sense of connection to yourself, enabling you to move towards a more authentic and grounded way of being in the world.

Integrative therapy brings together different therapeutic approaches so that the work can be shaped around you as an individual. I work in a relational, person-centred and trauma-informed way, placing safety, trust and collaboration at the heart of the therapeutic relationship. While I bring experience, training and therapeutic tools, you are the expert in your own life, and what you bring to therapy is always respected and valued.

My practice is informed by approaches including Internal Family Systems, Inner Child work, attachment theory and Transactional Analysis. These frameworks can be particularly helpful when working with developmental and complex trauma, grief and anxiety. They support us in understanding how early relationships, loss, and lived experiences can shape patterns of thinking, feeling and relating, often long after the original experiences have passed.

Rather than viewing these patterns as problems to be fixed, therapy offers a compassionate space to understand them as adaptations that once helped you cope. Together, we may gently explore different parts of yourself, offer care to younger or wounded aspects, and examine relational dynamics that affect your sense of safety, self-worth and connection with others.

The pace of therapy is guided by your needs, with attention to emotional regulation, choice and consent. Over time, this work can support greater emotional stability, self-compassion and resilience. Therapy can help you process grief, reduce anxiety, and develop a more integrated sense of self, enabling you to move through life with greater clarity, confidence and ease.

I offer a free 30-minute phone call at the start of the process. This is an opportunity for us to talk briefly, for you to ask questions, and for us both to sense whether working together feels right, because it's important that we both feel comfortable working with each other. 

If you choose to continue, we will arrange an initial session. I will also send you my contract and GDPR information in advance, and you’re welcome to raise any questions or concerns.

The first session is slightly more structured than ongoing therapy. I will invite you to share more about yourself, your history and what you hope to gain from therapy. This helps us create a gentle ‘road map’ for our work together.

Finding the right therapist is an important process. This first meeting is a chance for both of us to reflect on whether the therapeutic relationship feels supportive and appropriate. If I feel I am not the right therapist for you, I will be honest and help you think about other options.