About Maria
Maria Connolly is a counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She has three years of professional experience and practises in the United Kingdom. Maria focuses on helping people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression, including issues related to LGBT identity and relationship difficulties.
She aims to create a warm, non-judgmental space where people can talk about what matters to them. Sessions are intended to be open and honest, so thoughts and feelings can be named and made easier to manage.
How Maria works
Maria knows from personal experience how daunting starting therapy can feel and brings a reassuring presence to early sessions. Her work also addresses a range of related concerns such as abandonment, attachment issues, body image, chronic pain or illness, codependency, and communication problems.
Maria helps clients to untangle control issues, feelings of emptiness, guilt and shame, and struggles with life purpose or midlife change. Practical matters are part of the process too: she supports people facing family problems, forgiveness and isolation or loneliness. Maria also offers help around men’s issues and matters that affect self-confidence and motivation.
Conversations aim to clarify what matters now and what small steps could help you feel steadier. People can expect straightforward, compassionate support that focuses on the client's priorities. Maria works collaboratively to understand goals and to plan how to reach them, using approaches grounded in evidence-based therapeutic techniques.
What Maria works with
The areas below are the ones Maria selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 3 |
| 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
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Maria uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on helping people understand and change patterns that cause distress. One common approach she uses helps people identify problematic thoughts and behaviours and then practise small changes to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Another approach focuses on attachment and relational patterns, helping clients understand how past relationships shape current feelings and interactions.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Maria will work with each person to clarify goals and preferences, and then adapt methods to suit how the person likes to work. This means the plan can change over time as progress is made and priorities shift.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility for busy or geographically dispersed people. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when helpful, phone sessions work well for shorter check-ins or when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text-based messaging can suit those who prefer writing or need more frequent, brief contact. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving or other commitments while keeping focus on the therapeutic goals.
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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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