About James
James Costigan is a counsellor with nine years' experience who focuses on helping people find steadier ways to live. He offers a calm, patient presence and aims to help clients slow down and better understand what is causing stress and anxiety.
James is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and works online with people across the United Kingdom and internationally. He often supports men who have been carrying pressure alone, though he helps anyone facing similar concerns.
Background and approach
Common issues he sees include depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship strain, and difficulties with self-esteem and career stress. He also works with people dealing with ADHD, intimacy-related worries, anger, and the upheaval of life changes. In sessions James focuses on building self-awareness and making sense of emotions.
He uses practical conversation, structured thinking tools, and mindfulness exercises to help clients notice patterns and try different responses. Work is paced to each person's readiness, moving as quickly or slowly as needed. James draws on his own corporate background when people bring work-related pressures or performance expectations.
He aims to help clients recover confidence and move toward clearer goals. Therapy can include short-term problem-solving or longer-term exploration, depending on what someone wants. People can expect straightforward language, direct listening, and an emphasis on small, manageable steps.
James also addresses specific areas such as body image, attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, and substance use when they come up in conversation.
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and following the client's lead. The counsellor creates a space where people can speak freely and be heard, which helps when sorting through emotions or personal dilemmas.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, uses practical tools to spot unhelpful thoughts and try alternative behaviours. It is useful for anxiety, low mood, and patterns that keep causing stress.
Mindfulness Therapy brings attention to the present moment through simple exercises. It can reduce reactivity, support emotional regulation, and complement conversational work.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. James works collaboratively to decide which methods suit a person's goals and preferences. He will adapt pace and techniques as sessions progress so the plan stays useful and relevant.
Online sessions make it easier to fit counselling into busy lives. Video calls let people have face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging suit quick check-ins or those who prefer writing. These options increase flexibility, help keep continuity between meetings, and allow people to choose what works best for them.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Paranoia
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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