Sayma Arshad

Sayma Arshad is a BACP counsellor with 13 years of experience in mental health settings. She offers a warm, patient presence and aims to build a trusting relationship before working on practical steps. Sayma presents herself as approachable and reliably supportive for people feeling overwhelmed by life changes or intense emotions.

Her background includes work for the NHS, social services and charities, and time supporting both vulnerable people and mental health professionals. That experience informs how she helps people with stress, anxiety, depression and work-related strain. She also helps those coping with trauma and abuse, bereavement, self-esteem concerns and parenting struggles.

Sayma uses a blend of approaches and adapts these to the individual. She draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how past relationships shape current patterns. She also uses client-centred listening and cognitive approaches to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

People bring a wide range of issues including anger, relationship or intimacy difficulties, addiction-related struggles, eating or sleeping problems, bipolar and attention differences such as ADHD. Sayma also supports those facing career pressures and major life transitions.

She describes her work as collaborative and respectful. In early sessions she focuses on listening and understanding what matters most to the person. From there she and the client decide on practical steps and coping strategies to try between meetings.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Attachment-based work looks at the way earlier relationships shape current reactions and close bonds. It can help people who notice the same conflict patterns repeating, who struggle with trust, or who get easily overwhelmed in relationships.

Client-centred therapy is built around attentive listening and acceptance. The counsellor gives space for the person to tell their story, helping them feel heard and to find their own direction for change.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing small changes in thinking or behaviour. This approach is often used for anxiety, low mood and managing difficult day-to-day reactions.

Finding the right approach often takes a bit of time. Sayma works collaboratively to decide which methods suit a person’s goals and preferences. She listens in early sessions and together they agree practical steps and what to try between meetings.

Please confirm available session formats before booking, as the profile does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Many people find remote sessions help maintain continuity during life changes and make it simpler to attend regularly.