Hilary Cartmel-BattyBACP

Hilary Cartmel-Batty is a BACP counsellor who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression and the after-effects of trauma. She supports people facing parenting and relationship concerns, grief, addiction and changes in life that feel overwhelming. Hilary aims to make it easier to talk about difficult feelings and to find clearer ways forward.

She creates a calm, non-judgemental space where people can say what they are thinking and feeling. Conversations stay focused on practical, manageable steps as well as understanding what underlies problems. Sessions are conversational and aimed at helping the client feel heard and more able to cope.

Hilary draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships influence present patterns. She also uses client-centred principles that place the person’s perspective at the heart of the work. Solution-focused strategies help set short-term goals and track small changes.

With five years of experience, she combines gentle curiosity with straightforward questions. This helps clients make sense of recurring difficulties such as low self-esteem, intimacy issues or parenting stress. People living with mood conditions including bipolar or depression are supported with practical coping strategies.

Her practice operates alongside private work, so scheduling can be flexible. When someone chooses to work with Hilary they complete a brief matching form and then arrange sessions that fit their timetable. She works in English and is based in the United Kingdom.

How Hilary’s approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-based work looks at how early bonds shape current reactions and relationships. Online conversations can be used to notice patterns in close relationships and to practise new ways of connecting and responding.

Client-centred work puts the person’s own experience at the centre. In remote sessions this means the counsellor focuses on listening, reflecting and following what matters most to the client so the work stays relevant and personalised.

Solution-focused methods emphasise small, practical changes and clear short-term goals. These techniques suit online work well because progress is tracked between sessions and steps can be adjusted quickly as life circumstances shift.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what has helped or not helped before. Together they will decide which combination of approaches to try and review whether it feels helpful as therapy continues.

The practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy routine and reducing travel time. Some people prefer shorter check-ins or audio sessions to keep calls low-bandwidth. Confirm the session formats available with the therapist before booking so you know how sessions will be arranged.