Madeleine Heffernan , BACP

Madeleine Heffernan is a licensed therapist based in Cambridge, UK who tailors each course of therapy to the needs and preferences of the person she is working with. She draws on a range of approaches to make sense of difficulties and to build practical coping strategies, explaining theory in straightforward terms and adapting techniques to fit individual circumstances.

Her practice includes psychodynamic psychotherapy, which explores how past experiences shape present patterns, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. She also uses a Compassion Focused approach to help people develop a kinder inner voice and at times employs Emotional Freedom Technique, a tapping method some clients find helpful.

Madeleine has experience supporting people with stress and anxiety, relationship problems, family conflict, and trauma and abuse. She works from the view that clients are the experts on their own lives and that recognising personal strengths is central to change. Seeking support is a courageous step, and she aims to empower and support people through that process.

Counselling may involve careful listening, exploration and understanding of inner experience and life story, alongside tasks or observations to try between sessions if the client chooses. She helps clients develop a more compassionate inner dialogue and uses other techniques drawn from psychodynamic and CBT ideas. Madeleine holds BACP accreditation - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - which denotes professional recognition within the UK.

She answers messages daily between 08:30 and 20:30, offering up to an hour of messaging contact per week, and holds live sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 08:00 and 18:00 by video, phone or instant messaging. For further information she lists additional details on her website locusofsolace.com and on her Facebook page.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Madeleine uses psychodynamic therapy to help clients explore how earlier life experiences influence current feelings and relationship patterns, offering an opportunity to gain deeper self-understanding and awareness of repeating dynamics. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - a practical approach that helps people identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviours to reduce distress and improve day-to-day functioning. Attachment-Based Therapy is used to examine how attachment styles shape connections with others and to support healthier interpersonal patterns and emotional regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Madeleine works collaboratively with each person to identify which methods best match their needs, goals and preferences. She frames treatment choices as a shared decision so clients can test techniques and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to work together, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity when in-person meetings are difficult, and access licensed professionals from a familiar environment, while preserving the same therapeutic aims of reflection, skills-building and emotional support.