Debra Laking
Practical, person-centred therapy for life changes
BACP United Kingdom
- Experience
- 4 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Debra
Debra Laking is a counsellor who draws on the Gottman Method alongside talking therapies to help people facing stress, anxiety and relationship strain. She works with people who are coping with grief, low self‑esteem and major life changes.
Background and approach
Debra uses straightforward language and calm focus in sessions to make difficult topics easier to talk about. Debra trained as a BACP counsellor, and she has four years of experience working in therapeutic settings.
She prefers a practical, person-centred way of working. That means sessions begin by listening to what matters to the individual, then choosing approaches that fit their goals and situation.
In practice Debra blends methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with mindfulness and client‑centred listening. This combination helps people notice unhelpful patterns, try small changes and practise new responses between sessions.
She avoids jargon and keeps exercises simple and achievable. Her work covers a wide range of concerns beyond everyday stress.
Debra supports people dealing with aging and geriatric issues, attachment and communication problems, autism and Asperger syndrome, cancer and end‑of‑life topics, caregiver stress, and isolation or loneliness. She also helps with commitment, control and forgiveness issues.
Debra offers sessions in English and can work with international clients. Her approach is collaborative - she helps each person choose what matters most and how to move forward, week by week.
Practical approaches for online therapy and relationships
Debra commonly draws on the Gottman Method to address communication patterns and relationship interactions, using clear exercises to notice and change everyday habits. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is used to help people accept difficult emotions and commit to small, value‑driven actions that improve daily life. Client‑centred therapy provides a calm, listening space where the person leads the story and the counsellor follows with empathy and reflection.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Debra treats this as a collaborative process where the therapist and client decide together which methods fit the client’s goals and preferences. She will try simple strategies first and adjust them based on what helps most in practice.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people use visual cues and longer conversations, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging allow shorter check‑ins and ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, health or caregiving commitments and to keep momentum week to week.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Registered with
BACP
Languages
English