Gillian McGowan
Compassionate counsellor for relationship and self issues
About Gillian
Gillian McGowan helps people deal with relationship pain, family strain and life changes. She is straightforward and calm, and aims to make talking about difficult things feel manageable. Gillian holds NCPS, which is shown here as the credential she uses in practice, and she has eight years of work as a counsellor alongside a longer career in mental health.
Gillian focuses on self-belief and the stories people carry from childhood.
Background and approach
She looks at how messages received from caregivers shape choices, habits and self-esteem now. That makes her useful for anyone trying to understand patterns that keep repeating in relationships or daily life. She also works with relationship issues that affect individuals.
That includes communication problems, break ups, infidelity and the stresses of blended family life. Gillian does not offer couples sessions; she sees individuals who want to work on intimacy, commitment or family conflict. Her approach is client-centred, which means she follows the person in the room rather than imposing a strict technique.
Sessions aim to be non-judgemental and relaxed so people can talk at their own pace. Practical steps and clearer self-understanding often follow from that kind of work. Gillian has extra focus on caregiver stress, codependency, guilt and shame, and midlife concerns.
She also supports people facing grief, trauma and changes such as separation or divorce. Her style is warm and flexible, with an emphasis on helping people find more self-love and purpose.
What Gillian works with
How Gillian works
Listed by Gillian among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
How client-centred work fits into online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening deeply and following the person's pace. The therapist reflects what is said, helps people clarify feelings, and encourages them to find their own solutions. This approach is useful for relationship struggles, self-esteem work and unpacking messages from childhood.Finding the right approach is part of the process and Gillian will collaborate with each person to decide what helps most. She will check in about goals and preferences and adapt sessions to suit how someone wants to work, whether that means talking through past patterns or focusing on practical coping steps.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. Video lets people use visual cues when needed, phone can be a simpler option with lower bandwidth, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and messaging allows ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility for fitting therapy around work, family life and other commitments.
| Session length | Typically 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Client ages | Adults, 18 and over |
| Fees | Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime |
| Insurance | Not billed directly |
Questions people ask
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Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 8 years
- Registered with
- NCPS
- Languages
- English
