Petina Walker, BACP
Integrative counsellor for addiction and relationships
- Addictions and dependency
- Relationship and attachment work
- Stress and trauma support
About Petina Walker
Petina Walker is an Advanced Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and an Ambassador for Betterhelp, based in Devon in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - which signals her commitment to professional standards and ongoing development. Petina brings a compassionate, client-led approach to her work and finds deep professional satisfaction in helping people gain clarity and make practical changes in their lives.
Her practice is flexible and integrative by design. Petina often works solution-focused and intuitively, using Transactional Analysis as an underpinning framework while drawing on CBT, NLP and mindfulness techniques where they fit the client’s needs. She specialises in addictions, anxiety, stress and anger management, and relationship difficulties with a particular interest in co-dependency. Petina explores the links between stress, trauma, addiction and dependency and how these relate to Driver behaviours in Transactional Analysis.
Over the course of her career she has worked as a counsellor, trainer and drugs and alcohol professional, facilitating groups and treatment programmes, triaging clients, conducting assessments and delivering 1:1 online interventions as a senior member of a Clinical Assessments & Brief Interventions Team. She qualified in 2008 after training at The Iron Mill Institute in Exeter and has spent recent years developing a private practice and planning a book to share her integrative methods for supporting people with addiction and co-dependency.
Previously Petina ran a wellbeing centre in Exeter for 21 years, an enterprise recognised with a Best Small Business Award for quality service and high standards of care. Her background as a beauty therapist exposed her early on to supporting people through major life challenges - including gender transition, cancer and bereavement - and helped shape her empathic, tuned-in listening style. Petina tailors interventions to what each client brings to a session and prioritises a safe, holding environment where difficult issues can be explored and addressed.
Her practice is flexible and integrative by design. Petina often works solution-focused and intuitively, using Transactional Analysis as an underpinning framework while drawing on CBT, NLP and mindfulness techniques where they fit the client’s needs. She specialises in addictions, anxiety, stress and anger management, and relationship difficulties with a particular interest in co-dependency. Petina explores the links between stress, trauma, addiction and dependency and how these relate to Driver behaviours in Transactional Analysis.
Over the course of her career she has worked as a counsellor, trainer and drugs and alcohol professional, facilitating groups and treatment programmes, triaging clients, conducting assessments and delivering 1:1 online interventions as a senior member of a Clinical Assessments & Brief Interventions Team. She qualified in 2008 after training at The Iron Mill Institute in Exeter and has spent recent years developing a private practice and planning a book to share her integrative methods for supporting people with addiction and co-dependency.
Previously Petina ran a wellbeing centre in Exeter for 21 years, an enterprise recognised with a Best Small Business Award for quality service and high standards of care. Her background as a beauty therapist exposed her early on to supporting people through major life challenges - including gender transition, cancer and bereavement - and helped shape her empathic, tuned-in listening style. Petina tailors interventions to what each client brings to a session and prioritises a safe, holding environment where difficult issues can be explored and addressed.
Areas of Expertise
Primary Focus
Also Specializes In
Trauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue
Additional Focus Areas
AbandonmentAttachment issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic Approach
Attachment-Based Therapy Client-Centered Therapy Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) Mindfulness Therapy Motivational Interviewing Solution-Focused Therapy Trauma-Focused Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
How much experience does Petina Walker have?
Petina Walker has 17 years of experience.
Is Petina Walker a registered therapist?
Yes. She holds the BACP credential. Registration details were not provided.
In which languages does Petina Walker provide therapy?
Petina provides therapy in English.
Where is Petina Walker located?
Petina is based in the United Kingdom.
How can I work with Petina Walker as my therapist?
You can work with Petina through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
Does Petina Walker work with international clients?
Yes, Petina Walker works with international clients.
How much does therapy with Petina Walker cost?
The cost of therapy can vary depending on factors such as your location and the therapist's availability. Sessions are billed through a subscription that can be cancelled at any time, for any reason. For current details, click the "Start Therapy" button on this page.
How can I get started with therapy?
Getting started with therapy is quick and straightforward. Click the "Start Therapy" button and complete a short questionnaire that helps match you with your therapist. Depending on availability, you can then schedule your first session, which may take place by phone, video call, live chat, or in-app messaging.
Therapeutic approaches and how they translate to online care
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships shape patterns of connection and trust. In practice it helps clients explore attachment styles and how those patterns affect current relationships, useful for work on abandonment, intimacy issues and relationship repair.
Client-Centered Therapy places the client's experience at the heart of the work. The therapist offers empathic listening and non-judgemental support to help people clarify values, feelings and goals, which can be especially helpful for self-esteem, grief and life transitions.
Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and regulation skills to help reduce reactivity and increase emotional awareness. These techniques are often integrated into sessions for anxiety, stress, trauma recovery and ongoing coping strategies.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Petina collaborates with each person to identify which methods suit their needs, goals and preferences, adapting interventions session by session to provide a tailored pathway forward.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions by video calls, phone, live chat or text-based messaging make it easier to fit counselling into busy or complex lives and to connect across distances. These options support continuity of care, greater accessibility for international clients, and the ability to choose the format that feels most comfortable for each stage of the work.