Carol Saker, BACP

Carol Saker is a BACP counsellor in the United Kingdom with four years of professional practice. She works with adults on issues including stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, relationship problems, sleep and eating concerns, parenting strain, anger, self-esteem, career worries and ADHD.

Carol chose counselling after a degree in psychology and has experience volunteering with young people aged 11 to 18. That placement helped her understand family dynamics and the pressures young people face, and it informs how she listens to different perspectives in sessions.

Her main way of working is client-centred counselling. She focuses on listening closely and giving people space to speak so they can better understand their own feelings and choices. This means sessions tend to be conversational, with Carol helping to reflect back what she hears and to pinpoint what feels most important to address.

For relationship work she draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and attachment ideas. In couple sessions she emphasises practical steps and clearer communication so partners can work towards shared goals. She also uses aspects of the Gottman method and transactional analysis where helpful.

Carol emphasises openness and straightforward conversation. She aims to make it easier to talk about difficult emotions and to consider small changes that reduce reactivity, manage anger, and improve day-to-day coping. Taking a first step can feel hard, and she supports people through that initial process.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online