About Alan
Alan Opfer is a counsellor who focuses on helping people facing stress, anxiety, addiction and low self-esteem. He works in straightforward, non-judgemental ways. He aims to make it easier to talk about difficult subjects and to find practical steps forward.
He draws on three years of professional experience in the United Kingdom. Much of his practice has involved alcohol and substance use issues, including harm-reduction, controlled use, and coping strategies around detox.
Background and approach
He also has experience supporting people through grief, trauma, relationship difficulties and major life changes. Alan speaks from both professional and lived experience. He has used services himself and says that recovery informed his choice to help others.
That background guides a supportive, practical approach rather than judgement or blame. His work is informed by person-centred ideas. He treats people as experts in their own lives and adapts sessions to fit each person’s needs.
Mindfulness and solution-focused techniques are also used when they suit the client’s goals. Alan has worked in housing support roles and is familiar with multidisciplinary services in community settings. He is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which is shown as BACP.
Sessions are offered in English and take place online through video calls, phone, live chat or text-based messaging.
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and adapting to what each person needs. The counsellor offers empathy and acceptance and shapes sessions around the client's priorities, which helps with confidence and self-esteem issues.Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple ways to notice thoughts and bodily sensations without getting swept away. These practices can reduce anxiety and provide tools for coping with stress, cravings or emotional overwhelm.
Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on small, realistic steps and on what the client wants to change first. It is practical and goal-oriented, useful for people who want quick, manageable strategies for problems like addiction, anger or relationship tension.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Alan will discuss goals and preferences and together you will choose methods that fit your situation and tempo. The process is collaborative and can change as needs shift.
Online formats offer flexibility for different lifestyles and technical needs. Video calls make it easier to maintain face-to-face contact when possible. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be simpler on busy days. Live chat and text-based messaging suit short check-ins, ongoing notes or when typing feels easier than speaking. These options help people fit therapy around work, travel or caring responsibilities.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Anger management
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Phobias
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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