Psychotherapists in Manchester

In Greater Manchester, psychotherapy and counselling are offered by practitioners working in private practice across the city centre and the surrounding towns, both in person and online. Each therapist brings their own training and way of working, from person-centred and integrative approaches to specialist trauma work.

This feature brings together a selection of psychotherapists in Manchester: Rebecca Crossland Therapy, Personal Resilience and Inner Changes Psychotherapy and Counselling. Three practices with distinct ways of supporting people through difficult times.

Rebecca Crossland Therapy is a person-centred counselling practice based in Altrincham, Manchester, led by Rebecca Crossland, MBACP, PGDip Counselling & Psychotherapy. Working with adults, the practice provides a setting for people seeking support during difficult periods, whether they are facing a clearly defined challenge or a less easily articulated sense that something has changed. Sessions are available in person from a therapy room on High Street in Altrincham, as well as online by video call.

The practice’s principal approach is person-centred counselling, founded on the view that each individual is the expert on their own life. Rather than imposing a fixed agenda, Rebecca’s work is intended to give clients time and space to explore their thoughts and feelings in their own words and at their own pace. The therapeutic relationship is treated as a central part of the process, with an emphasis on curiosity, careful listening and an absence of judgement.

With a calm, unhurried approach, Rebecca works across a range of concerns that can affect adults at different stages of life. These include grief and loss (encompassing bereavement, relationship endings and other significant losses), anxiety and stress (including worry, panic and feelings of overwhelm) as well as depression or low mood. The practice also supports people navigating life transitions, such as redundancy, retirement, identity shifts and periods of uncertainty about the future.

Whilst the approach is primarily person-centred, the work can also draw selectively on cognitive behavioural therapy and creative therapy where these methods appear useful for the individual. This flexibility is responsive rather than prescriptive; clients are not expected to arrive with a fully formed account of their difficulties, nor are they required to follow a standardised programme.

Rebecca offers a free 20-minute phone or video call to discuss what has prompted your enquiry, explore what you hope to gain from counselling, and decide whether the working relationship feels right for you. Full sessions last 50 minutes and can be held face-to-face or by video. Rebecca Crossland Therapy is currently welcoming new clients, and if you’re thinking about taking the first step, you’re invited to get in touch to arrange your free initial call.

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Personal Resilience is the counselling and psychotherapy practice of Louise Tyler in Altrincham, Cheshire. She has been a practising counsellor in the town for 15 years, is registered and accredited with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and works as a media spokesperson for the association. Her practice is within easy reach of Altrincham town centre, Altrincham Met and train station, and neighbouring Hale and Bowdon. She sees individuals and couples, either face to face or online by Zoom, Microsoft Teams or FaceTime, on an open-ended basis or for an agreed period.

In individual counselling, Louise Tyler works with clients experiencing stress, anxiety, panic attacks, low mood and depression, low self-esteem, relationship issues, family dynamics and significant life changes. She helps clients explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, look at past experiences to find the origin of emotions such as sadness, guilt, shame or anger, and understand the neuroscience behind anxiety, panic attacks and depression. Counselling gives clients the chance to look at how they are living their lives and understand what is working and what is not, to process difficult emotions and experiences, to learn coping strategies for the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and to set goals for change that is realistic and in keeping with their values. It can also explore how clients relate to partners, family and colleagues, with improved communication skills and assertiveness. Clients can return weekly, monthly or over a longer period, and some come on and off for years. Her style is interactive, straightforward and direct, built on mutual trust and respect.

The practice also offers relationship counselling through three formats: Couples MOT, for partners who have lost the spark or keep going round in circles; Couples SOS; and Separating with Dignity. Sessions explore themes such as feeling unappreciated, family issues, parenting styles, money and sex, and help couples learn to listen to each other, communicate and argue well, and to understand the personality traits and attachment styles each partner brings. Many clients are high-achieving professionals, and appointments are arranged flexibly around their schedules.

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Inner Changes Psychotherapy and Counselling is a private practice in Manchester city centre, based at Piccadilly House on Piccadilly and run by Nigel Magowan. He is a UKCP accredited and registered psychotherapist, a registered member of the BACP, an EMDR therapist, a somatic therapist, a trauma-informed therapist and a certified personality disorder treatment provider, and trained at the Beeleaf Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in London. He is also an NLP master practitioner, a clinical hypnotherapist and a fully trained and accredited clinical supervisor. He has worked in full-time private practice since 2002, previously ran a practice on Harley Street in London, and volunteers as a psychotherapist and counsellor for charities in Greater Manchester and the Stockport area.

The practice works in a flexible, integrative way. Where appropriate, psychotherapy and counselling are combined with CBT, EMDR, DBT skills, somatic therapies, IFS, Brainspotting, NLP, life coaching and clinical hypnotherapy. Nigel Magowan is qualified to offer brief therapy, usually between six and 18 sessions, as well as mid to longer-term psychotherapy and counselling. He also holds additional training in trauma, complex PTSD, personality disorders, anxiety and panic attacks, addictions and OCD. Therapy is available in person or online, and the online format suits people who are unable to visit a therapist in person, such as those with agoraphobia, social anxiety or a physical condition that restricts travel.

Clients come to the practice with anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD and complex trauma, attachment issues, stress, bereavement, depression and low mood, low self-esteem, phobias, OCD, eating disorders, IBS, pain management, exam anxiety, fear of public speaking and work-related concerns, among other issues. The practice also offers ecotherapy, a nature-based approach on which Nigel Magowan presented research at the UK Council for Psychotherapy research conference in London in 2013, including outdoor workshops and retreats for individuals, organisations and corporate groups, as well as clinical supervision for other psychotherapists and counsellors and counselling through employee assistance programmes. It is open from 11am to 7:30pm, Monday to Friday.