- Trauma and abuse
- Career and purpose
- Compassion fatigue
About Claire
Claire Payne is an NCPS registered counsellor with three years’ experience working in private practice alongside over 30 years of prior work in social care settings. She is based in Torbay, Devon and offers face-to-face sessions locally plus remote work nationwide. Her stated specialities include family concerns, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, career questions and compassion fatigue.
Claire uses an integrative approach that draws on Person Centred, Gestalt and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) ideas. She also offers Sand Tray work for people who find words hard to use. In sessions she aims to work at a pace that suits the client and adapts how she works to what the person needs in the moment.
She has particular experience supporting people affected by domestic abuse, sexual abuse and early years trauma, and she pays attention to how attachment and early experience can shape day-to-day life. Claire also supports people facing workplace stress, burnout and compassion fatigue.
Clients may bring concerns about abandonment, attachment issues, caregiver stress, communication and control problems, divorce or separation, guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation or midlife questions. Life purpose and career shifts are also within her stated focus areas.
Sessions can be short or long term depending on the person’s needs. Fees vary by location and are managed through a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session via the See online therapy options button.
Claire conducts sessions in English and does not accept international clients at this time.
Therapeutic approaches and how online work fits
Claire blends a small number of evidence-based approaches so people have clear options. Person Centred work focuses on listening and supporting the client to find their own answers; it can help when someone feels unsure what they want next. Gestalt work looks at present-moment experience and relationships between feelings, thoughts and actions, which can be useful for unresolved attachment or communication patterns. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) targets thoughts and behaviours with practical strategies and can help with low mood, anxiety and workplace stress.Choosing an approach is part of the work. Claire will talk with the client about goals and preferences and then agree a plan together. That collaborative process means approaches can be adjusted if something feels unhelpful or a different focus is needed.
The biography notes she offers face-to-face locally and remote sessions nationwide, so check the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions around home and work, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. Some approaches, such as CBT, can include short practical tasks between sessions that suit remote contact, while Sand Tray work may be discussed in advance to agree how it will be adapted for remote sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she work with?
She works with family concerns, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, career questions and compassion fatigue, plus related issues such as attachment, guilt and midlife concerns.
How does she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
Claire uses an integrative style drawing on Person Centred, Gestalt and CBT ideas, adapting her pace to what each person needs in session.
What is her background and experience?
She has three years in private counselling practice and over 30 years of experience working in social care settings with traumatised individuals.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is NCPS registered and works from Torbay, Devon in the United Kingdom, offering local face-to-face work and remote sessions nationwide.
Can I have sessions in a language other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with clients outside the UK?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions arranged and what does it cost?
Fees vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to try her service?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.