- Warm conversational style
- Focus on trauma recovery
- Helps with addiction
About Victoria
Victoria Porteous uses a warm, conversational counselling style that draws on several established approaches. She combines practical tools with open dialogue to help people untangle anxiety, relationship strain and life changes. Victoria aims to make sessions feel like a real conversation rather than a clinical interview, and she sometimes brings gentle humour into her work.
Victoria speaks from personal experience of loss and recovery, and she says that lived experience shapes how she listens and responds. That background influences her focus on addictive behaviours, grief, and rebuilding purpose after major life events. She also helps with stress, low self-esteem, trauma and intimacy-related concerns.
Across 11 years in practice she has worked with charity referrals and ran counselling services for a Government-backed trauma charity during the Covid period. Her background includes working with complex trauma survivors and with people referred by doctors and public agencies. Victoria also offers workplace-facing support through coaching for leaders and organisations.
Her approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Attachment-Based work and Client-Centred principles. In sessions she listens, reflects and will sometimes respectfully challenge unhelpful thoughts to open up fresh perspectives. She adapts methods to the person rather than following a single script.
Victoria also has experience supporting people with blended family and step-parenting issues, communication and commitment concerns, and addiction-related problems. She is qualified as a Menopause Healthcare Professional and works from the United Kingdom, offering sessions in English.
To begin she asks people to reflect on what they want to change and to be ready for honest, sometimes challenging work that aims to restore agency and direction.
Therapeutic approaches and how they translate online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, then choose actions that reflect their values. It can be useful for anxiety, stress and finding direction. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and trying different behaviours to change mood and function; it is often used for anxiety, low mood and coping with life changes. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) concentrates on emotions and attachment patterns in close relationships, helping people understand and change interaction cycles that cause distress.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The counsellor will work with each person to decide which methods suit their goals and preferences. That decision is collaborative and may change as the work progresses.
The profile does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm available options before booking. Online working can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, reduce travel time and allow brief check-ins around work or family commitments. It can also let people choose quieter surroundings or turn off video when that helps them focus. Ask about current session arrangements when you schedule so practical details match your needs.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
11+ years
Credentials
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does Victoria help with?
She supports people facing anxiety, stress, trauma and grief as well as relationship and family issues. Other areas include addictions, low self-esteem, parenting strain and coping with life changes.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Sessions are conversational and personable, with a mix of listening, reflection and gentle challenge. She aims to avoid clinical formality and to make sessions feel like a real dialogue.
How much practice experience does she have?
Victoria has worked in counselling and coaching for 11 years, including running counselling services for a Government-backed trauma charity during the Covid period.
What credentials and location are listed for this counsellor?
She holds NCPS as listed and practises from the United Kingdom. Please note accreditation is described only as supplied.
Which languages are supported and can international clients book?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The biography does not specify session formats, so please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I start working with Victoria?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.