Registration on file

Francesca Polini, BACP

Francesca Polini is a BACP-registered counsellor who blends psychodynamic ideas with attachment-focused work.

About Francesca

Francesca Polini is a BACP-registered counsellor who blends psychodynamic ideas with attachment-focused work. She draws on five years of clinical experience to help people deal with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and low self-esteem. Sessions are offered in English and Italian and are available to people in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Francesca uses an integrative style that adapts to each person’s needs. That means paying attention to early relationship patterns, current behaviour, and how emotions show up in the body.

Background and approach

She helps people name difficult feelings and understand where they come from so they can make different choices in daily life. Her work often involves exploring relationship patterns and attachment wounds that affect how people connect with others. She also draws on Jungian ideas to work with personal meaning and inner themes, and hypnotherapy techniques when they suit someone’s goals.

Practical conversation is mixed with reflective space so people can try out new ways of relating to themselves and others. Francesca has particular experience addressing issues connected to adoption, abandonment and attachment, as well as concerns such as chronic illness, caregiver stress, body image and sexual diversity. She also supports people coping with cancer, ageing pressures and complex communication problems.

Clients usually find sessions useful for short-term problem-solving and longer-term personal exploration. Francesca encourages a collaborative pace, matching the work to what feels manageable for each person.

Details from the counsellor's public professional profile · registration number listed

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Registration

Body	Registration number	Expires
BACP	412396	March 2026

Registration details are as listed on the counsellor's public profile. You can check any number with the registering body.

Check on the BACP register

Sessions and payment

Sessions are held online through our partner platform, by video, phone or messaging depending on the counsellor.

Cost Costs are shown on the partner platform before you commit. If cost is a concern, ask about reduced-fee options.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Francesca lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse
Self esteem
Depression
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
Aging and geriatric issues
Attachment issues
Avoidant personality
BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
Blended family issues
Body image
Cancer
Caregiver issues and stress
Chronic pain, illness, and disability
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Control issues
Dependent personality
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol addiction
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Fatherhood issues
Forgiveness
Gender dysphoria
Guilt and shame
Hospice and end-of-life counselling
Immigration issues
Impulsivity
Infidelity
Isolation / loneliness
Jealousy
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Money and financial issues
Mood disorders
Multicultural concerns
Narcissism
Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Paranoia
Personality disorders
Phobias
Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
Post-traumatic stress
Prejudice and discrimination
Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Sex addiction
Sexual assault and abuse
Sexuality
Smoking / vaping cessation
Social anxiety and phobia
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues

Ways of working Francesca names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor lists and does not check training records.

How attachment and psychodynamic ideas translate online

Francesca combines attachment-based work and psychodynamic thinking to help people understand patterns in close relationships and how early experiences affect current feelings. Attachment-based therapy focuses on relationship styles and emotional bonds, useful for worries about trust, intimacy and abandonment. Psychodynamic therapy looks at repeated patterns and unconscious themes, helping people notice how past experiences shape present choices.

She also uses client-centred principles to keep the work collaborative and person-led, offering space for clients to set the pace. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process and Francesca will work with each person to decide what feels most helpful based on their goals and preferences.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when non-verbal cues matter, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging suits brief check-ins or people who prefer written reflection. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and travel while still continuing meaningful therapeutic work with a registered professional.

Frequently asked

What kinds of problems does Francesca help with?

She works with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem and depression as primary focus areas. Additional concerns include abandonment, attachment issues, body image, chronic illness, caregiver stress and communication problems.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Francesca uses an integrative approach that mixes attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas with Jungian perspectives and hypnotherapy where appropriate. The work combines exploring past relationship patterns with practical steps for change.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She brings five years of experience working with adults on a range of emotional and relational issues. That experience informs a flexible, person-focused way of working.

What credential does Francesca hold and where is she based?

Francesca is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, shown as BACP. She practises from the United Kingdom and also accepts international clients.

Which languages are offered for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Italian.

What session formats are available?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin working with Francesca?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling sessions according to therapist availability.