Grace McBrien

Why therapy works?

You may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in difficult patterns. You may be struggling to make sense of experiences that feel hard to carry alone. Therapy offers a safe and confidential space to think, feel, and begin to understand what is happening at a pace that feels manageable.

I offer counselling and psychotherapy for individuals (including children), couples, and families who want support in understanding how life can feel different.

I work with people experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, overwhelm, trauma, and life transitions, including sexuality, identity, ADHD, and Autism.

Change often begins not with finding the perfect words, but with noticing what has been missing from the conversation.

Sometimes it is not that we are not talking. It is that we are not talking about the right things.

Therapy is not only about support. It is also about connection, understanding, and insight.

I offer a free fifteen-minute consultation, so please feel welcome to get in touch if you would like to explore how therapy may help.

Grace McBrien – Individuals, Couples and Family's Counsellor/ Psychotherapist

I've been supporting people through times of pain, change, and difficulty since 2001. Working in both statutory and non-statutory settings across Local authority, health, education, and specialist therapeutic services.

I'm a qualified systemic psychotherapist, having completed four years postgraduate training to work with couples, families, and individuals, with a particular focus on how relationships shape us. I am particularly interested in what gets talked about, what gets responded to, what does not get talked about and how this affects relationships. The 'stuff 'of communication!

I have experience of working with physical health issues, neuro-developmental needs, divorcing and separating couples and families, sibling difficulties. As well as earlier traumatic experiences.

Professional Background & Approach

I'm registered and accredited with BACP, UKCP, and Association for Family Therapy and Systemic practice. I have worked with people across a wide range of cultures, ages, backgrounds, and life experiences. I believe that people are resourceful and often hold clues about what they think would help them live a more fulfilling life. I find that a collaborative approach can help people draw on their own resources and experitise.

As a systemic psychotherapist, I am trained in various theories and models, which enable me to work effectively with the dilemmas and difficulties faced by individuals, couples, and families. My training allows me to adapt my style to the differing perspectives and ideas present in each session. I will bring to the work a curious, caring presence but also a space for gentle and supportive challenge.

I am committed to creating a space where relationships can grow, and where we can talk about how I can be of use to you. I have found that face-to-face sessions often allow for the richest therapeutic work.

Therapy/Counselling for Individuals, couples and families

Psychotherapy/Counselling offers a containing space to make sense of your feelings, thoughts, and the patterns that connect them. Therapy can offer a way to explore how these patterns came to be, and how they might shift to more useful ways of relating and communicating.

The sessions (50 minutes)  will centre on your story, and the parts of your life that may need to be named, grieved, celebrated, understood, or re-imagined. Revisiting the past can help you better understand what’s happening now, creating more space for compassion, possibility, and satisfaction in your relationships with yourself and with others. Sessions are 1-1.

What Might This Work Include?

For some people, this might include exploring patterns of attachment, difficulties in connecting or feeling close to others, or a sense of always needing to protect oneself. Together, we consider not just how you feel, but why and how those feelings might be linked to the roles, expectations, and relationship stories you’ve carried. (Issues that are brought to counselling/therapy can include: anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, Autism, relationships, communication, low-self-esteem).

We might gently ask: Are these stories still serving you? And could there be space for a different story now?

Making Space for Change

Whether you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected or simply curious about patterns that repeat in your relationships or inner life individual systemic psychotherapy offers a space to reflect, explore, and make sense of things with care and clarity.

Why therapy works?

You may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in difficult patterns. You may be struggling to make sense of experiences that feel hard to carry alone. Therapy offers a safe and confidential space to think, feel, and begin to understand what is happening at a pace that feels manageable.

I offer counselling and psychotherapy for individuals (including children), couples, and families who want support in understanding how life can feel different.

I work with people experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, overwhelm, trauma, and life transitions, including sexuality, identity, ADHD, and Autism.

Stories lived, stories told

Sometimes what looks like conflict, distance, or resistance is really a story that has not yet had space to be heard.

Change often begins not with finding the perfect words, but with noticing what has been missing from the conversation.

Sometimes it is not that we are not talking. It is that we are not talking about the right things.

Counselling and Psychotherapy with me works because:

Therapy is not only about support. It is also about connection, understanding, and insight.

Together, we can begin to uncover patterns, make sense of difficulties, and think about new possibilities for change.

I offer a free fifteen-minute consultation, so please feel welcome to get in touch if you would like to explore how therapy may help.

I've been supporting people through times of pain, change, and complexity since 2001 — working in both statutory and non-statutory settings across health, education, and specialist therapeutic services.

I'm a qualified systemic psychotherapist, completing postgraduate training to work with couples, families, and individuals, with a particular focus on how relationships shape us. This approach is grounded in years of academic study, clinical experience, and ongoing supervision.

Professional Background & Approach

I'm registered and accredited with BACP, UKCP, and AFT, and have worked with people across a wide range of cultures, ages, backgrounds, and life experiences.

As a systemic psychotherapist, I am trained in various theories and models, which enable me to work effectively with the dilemmas and difficulties faced by individuals, couples, and families. My training allows me to adapt my style to the differing perspectives and ideas present in each session.

I am committed to creating a space where relationships can grow, and where we can talk about how I can be of use to you. I have found that face-to-face sessions often allow for the richest therapeutic work.