About James
James Vanstone offers calm, straightforward support for people facing stress, anxiety and relationship pain. He presents a direct, compassionate style aimed at helping someone feel heard and better able to cope. James draws on two decades of experience to offer clear tools and steady guidance in sessions.
Clients can expect practical steps and short-term strategies alongside deeper work about patterns and attachment. He uses simple exercises to build confidence, manage anxiety and cope with loss.
How James works
This is practical help that can fit into a busy life. James trained and holds BACP and NCPS credentials, and has worked in this field for 21 years. He has helped people with grief, trauma and abuse, parenting strain, intimacy-related issues and career stress.
He also supports people dealing with abandonment, adoption and foster care matters, attachment difficulties and aspects of neurodiversity such as autism and Asperger syndrome. His approach blends client-centred conversations with cognitive and emotionally focused methods. That mix helps people make sense of feelings, test new responses and change how they relate to others.
James aims to build rapport quickly and create clear, usable plans for everyday life. Sessions are offered in English and are available to international clients. Therapy is delivered online through video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text messaging, with scheduling to suit individual needs.
James lists 11 ways of working on the entry:
What James works with
The areas below are the ones James selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Registers | BACP, NCPS |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 21 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How James uses therapy online and different approaches
Attachment-based work focuses on how early bonds shape current relationships and emotions. It helps people spot repeating patterns in closeness and trust and try new ways of relating to partners or friends.Client-centred therapy puts the person's experience at the heart of the session. The counsellor listens without judgement, reflects what comes up and follows the client's pace to build understanding and confidence.
Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. It offers straightforward techniques to reduce anxiety, manage mood and change unhelpful habits through practical exercises.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. James will discuss goals and preferences and adjust methods so therapy fits each person's needs. This is a collaborative process where techniques are tried, reviewed and adapted together.
Online sessions give flexibility in how people access help. Video calls are good for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits quick check-ins and text messaging lets people send reflections between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving or travel while keeping a steady course of support.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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