Donna Murison, MBACP (Accred), BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP (Accred) #390923

Hi, I'm Donna. I appreciate your interest in my work. You have taken a courageous step to begin therapy, and because choosing a therapist can feel overwhelming, my aim is to make those first steps feel calm and supportive. Whether you are seeking a short-term, solution-based approach to overcome specific challenges or a longer-term strategy to achieve sustainable change, I am here to help. My practice is integrative CBT, incorporating Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Mindfulness-Based CBT, and Compassion-Focused Therapy, with a Person-Centred approach as the foundation. You are the expert in your own life, and I adapt to your needs by delivering a flexible, tailored approach.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that helps you manage whatever is overwhelming you by changing how you think and behave. I strongly believe that if you change your thinking, you will change your life. Together, a safe, warm, and trusting therapeutic relationship creates the conditions for this positive change and improved emotion regulation. It is my privilege to work alongside you, exploring thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in a confidential, non-judgemental, and supportive way.

I work with clients presenting with a wide variety of mental health concerns such as grief & loss, phone/social media addiction, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties. I have extensive experience in supporting clients through life changes, for example, perimenopause & menopause, divorce, and separation. I also deliver couples therapy, providing a supportive space to explore relational dynamics and improve communication.

Discovering you have ADHD later in life often comes with a mix of relief and grief for the years spent wondering why things felt so hard—processing years of feeling misunderstood, and unlearning old coping mechanisms. Together, we will work to make sense of your diagnosis, build self-compassion, and develop tailored strategies that honour how your brain actually works.

Many people live with an inner voice that is harsh, critical, or hard to quiet. The therapeutic relationship is a catalyst for personal growth, where warmth, genuineness, patience, and acceptance are prized above all. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) helps you understand how that inner critic developed and supports you in building a gentler, more compassionate way of relating to yourself.

Rather than simply trying to 'think positively,' CFT explores the emotional systems behind threat, shame, safety, and soothing. It is especially helpful if you often blame yourself, feel like you're never good enough, or find it hard to offer yourself care and understanding. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), an evidence-based therapy designed to help people who struggle with shame, self-criticism, anxiety and low self-worth. The focus is on building a kinder, more supportive relationship with yourself. Compassion in therapy is not about letting yourself off the hook or ignoring difficulties. It is responding to pain, shame and struggle with more understanding, steadiness and emotional care.

If you are struggling, it can be a relief to talk to someone in a safe, warm, and trusting therapeutic relationship, one that fosters the conditions for positive change and improved emotion regulation. It is my privilege to work alongside my clients in setting achievable goals, building a toolkit of coping techniques and strategies for you to use in the future

I am an Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and an online & telephone certified counsellor/psychotherapist. I follow a set of ethical principles and guidelines that underpin my practice. I maintain and enhance the quality of my work through regular supervision and continued professional development.

PLEASE NOTE: I work with BetterHelp on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I do my utmost to reply to messages as quickly as possible. When there is a delay, it is because I am attending to other clients or I have signed off for the day (7 pm in the UK). Thank you for your patience and understanding.