Claire Payne, NCPS

Claire Payne is a trauma-informed counsellor registered with NCPS, a professional registration that recognises counsellors who meet national standards of practice. Based in Torbay, Devon, she works from a private practice and provides both local face-to-face sessions and remote appointments for clients across the United Kingdom. Claire uses an integrative approach that blends Person-Centred care, Gestalt techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and she can also offer Sand Tray work for clients who find it difficult to express experiences in words.

Claire adapts the pace and style of each session to suit individual needs, offering short or long term support depending on what will best support healing. She specialises in family issues, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, career concerns and compassion fatigue, and her practice addresses related areas such as attachment difficulties, early years trauma, workplace stress and burnout, domestic and sexual abuse, grief around separation and divorce, and feelings of guilt or shame. As a qualified trainer, Claire brings both clinical insight and practical skills to her work, helping clients explore patterns, build coping strategies and reconnect with a sense of purpose.

Her manner is compassionate and grounded, with a focus on creating a therapeutic space where people can work through difficult experiences and find clearer ways forward. Claire’s practice emphasises collaboration, tailoring therapeutic tools to meet each client’s goals and circumstances.