Rines Shanthakumar, BACP
Calm, practical counselling rooted in the body and relationships
About Rines
Rines Shanthakumar is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties. He also supports people coping with major life changes and concerns such as body image, chronic illness, addiction and feelings of emptiness. Rines works with clients from a variety of backgrounds and offers sessions in English and Tamil.
He uses an integrative style that draws on somatic ideas alongside attachment, client-centred, cognitive behavioural and existential approaches.
Background and approach
Sessions usually focus on what is happening for a person in their body and relationships, and on practical steps they can try between meetings. He aims to create a calm, respectful space where people can be heard without judgement. Rines holds a BSc (Hons) in Counselling from the University of East London and is a BACP member.
He follows the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy ethical framework in his practice and makes decisions with sensitivity to each person’s circumstances. In sessions he uses listening, gentle curiosity and practical tools from different approaches to help people notice patterns and try new ways of coping.
Work may include looking at attachment patterns, changing unhelpful thinking, or learning to connect with bodily signals that affect mood and behaviour. People often come for short-term help with a specific problem or for longer support while they work through deeper issues. Sessions are offered online in formats that suit individual needs and preferences.
If someone wants to begin, they can follow the site steps to match and book a session.
Approaches that translate well to online work
Somatic-informed work pays attention to bodily signals and movement to help people notice how stress and emotion show up in the body. This can help with anxiety, chronic pain, low mood and tension-related problems. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in relationships and early connections to understand why someone reacts the way they do now; it can be useful for communication problems, abandonment worries and difficulties in close relationships. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on empathic listening and building a trusting relationship so people can explore their feelings and find their own solutions.Choosing the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences and what feels most helpful. Together they decide which methods to try and review progress as they go rather than committing to a single way of working from the start.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to give flexibility around work, family and location. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to access support from different time zones, while keeping the focus on practical skills, relationship patterns and bodily awareness that can be worked on between sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What issues does Rines help with?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How much experience does he have?
What credentials and location apply?
Which languages are supported?
What session formats are available?
How are sessions paid for?
How do I begin working with him?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English, Tamil