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- Client-Centred approach
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Kink aware practice
About Dorcas
BACP counsellor Dorcas Upshall has three years' experience working with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, addiction, and related issues. She practises in the United Kingdom and uses a mix of client-centred work, cognitive behavioural ideas, existential questions and Internal Family Systems approaches. Sessions are presented as focused, practical conversations that centre the person's goals.
Upshall prioritises what each person wants to get from therapy. She helps people identify thought patterns and behaviours that feel unhelpful. She also supports exploration of past experiences that continue to affect day-to-day life. The emphasis is on small, usable changes rather than abstract theory.
Her background includes work in domestic abuse services, women’s centres, pastoral roles in schools, LGBTQ+ charities, and addiction and recovery settings. She has experience with adult and young person special needs provisions, and spent over ten years working as a teacher. Those roles shaped a practical, down-to-earth way of working with different life situations.
Upshall is kink-aware and comfortable talking about BDSM and alternative sex culture, and she notes experience with a wide range of intimacy-related issues. She also lists work around body image, codependency, communication problems, infidelity, grief, anger, and men’s issues among her focus areas.
Sessions are aimed at helping people become more emotionally capable and confident. The working relationship is described as collaborative: the therapist and client set goals together and work toward them step by step.
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How her approaches shape remote sessions
Client-Centred Therapy puts the person’s aims first. In remote sessions this means conversations that follow what matters most to the client and focus on immediate concerns and goals. It suits people who want to be heard and to shape the work week by week.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at thought patterns and behaviours. Online sessions can use short exercises and practical tasks between meetings to test new ways of thinking and acting, which can help with anxiety, stress and mood problems.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will explore goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they will decide which methods to try and adjust them as needed in ongoing sessions.
If you are considering remote sessions, confirm the exact session formats before booking. The therapist can explain how sessions will fit around work, family and daily routines, and how practical adjustments can make meetings easier - for example shorter check-ins, not using video, or scheduling sessions at times that reduce travel and disruption.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, addiction, grief, eating and body image issues, and related concerns.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses client-centred methods alongside cognitive behavioural ideas, existential questioning and Internal Family Systems to help people understand thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
How much experience does she have?
She has three years' experience in counselling roles and prior work in education and pastoral care that informs her approach.
What credential and location are listed?
She is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She accepts international clients; check time zones when scheduling sessions.
How are costs described?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use 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 urgent help numbers.