Written by Achieve Wellbeing Therapy | 15 April 2026
Achieve Wellbeing Therapy was founded by Cheryl Burgess, a highly experienced trauma-informed integrative psychotherapist and counsellor based in Newton Aycliffe who specialises in anxiety, attachment and childhood developmental trauma, trauma and CPTSD, relationship and dating difficulties, bereavement and loss. She works face-to-face in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham and online across the UK, including London.
Cheryl is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practises as a relational and integrative therapist, meaning she tailors therapy to the individual rather than using a single therapeutic model.
What Distinguishes Cheryl’s Work
What particularly distinguishes Cheryl’s work is the combination of professional psychotherapy training, lived experience as an adoptive parent, almost 20 years as a specialist therapeutic foster carer working with and reaching vulnerable and distressed children and helping to reparent them to become stable and thriving young adults, and a previous career as a child and public law solicitor, bringing full awareness of how legal systems impact children, parents, extended family and foster carers.
This combination gives her a deep understanding of how early attachment experiences, trauma, neglect, bereavement and loss, family dynamics and adverse childhood experiences can affect not just children but adults later in life, particularly within relationships, emotional regulation, identity and self-worth.
Areas of Specialism
Cheryl’s practice focuses especially on attachment trauma, childhood trauma in adults, trauma and CPTSD, relationship and dating difficulties, anxiety and emotional overwhelm, and bereavement and loss.
She incorporates attachment-focused and trauma-informed approaches, drawing from person-centred, psychodynamic, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic and relational therapy.
Client testimonials frequently mention feeling deeply understood, gaining emotional insight, improving relationships, reducing anxiety and developing healthier coping patterns through therapy with Cheryl.
About Cheryl
Clients often want to know what type of person their therapist is, or what hobbies they enjoy, to see whether they may align with similar values and connect. Whilst Cheryl’s passion is providing therapy for individuals and seeing them heal and grow to become the very best versions of themselves, she personally enjoys reading, music, caring for and playing with her dogs, gardening and spending time with her family.
She finds that the best way to reduce stress and lead a more meaningful and purposeful life is to ensure you make time for yourself and those you love, and balance this with work commitments. All too often, priorities can become skewed, and with less balance, the things and people who mean most can end up not being prioritised.
Who Does Cheryl Work With?
Cheryl works with young people and adults aged 18 and over, seniors, organisations and local authorities.
How Long Is Therapy?
Therapy length depends entirely on individual need. Cheryl offers brief single-session and solution-focused work, short-term therapy online or face-to-face, and longer-term therapy for more complex work requiring stabilisation, deeper exploration, healing and growth.
Rates
Sessions are 55 minutes. The standard rate is £60.00 per session. Concessions are available at £45.00 per session for students and those on low incomes.
Flexible hours are available to ensure accessibility: Monday to Friday 11am to 8pm and Saturday 11am to 1pm.
To find out more or book a free initial consultation, get in touch here.
