Shelley Gabb
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
I’m Shelley Gabb (Nee Peterson) - and I’m passionate about using my counselling skills to help individuals tackle the ‘stuff’ that prevents us from living life to the full. I believe that what happens to you, or what you experience through life, really matters.
Informed by my Christian faith, I see every person as uniquely complex and wonderful. I am equally comfortable working with clients of any faith, and those of none.
My early career was spent working with young people - both as a secondary school humanities teacher, and as a staff member with a Christian Youth Organisation.
I have also worked for 13 years in the voluntary sector, firstly in administrative roles and then for three years as a Pastoral Care Worker.
The bigger picture:
Originally from Lancashire, I have been living in Bristol on and off since 1994 and love it here. I have 2 adult sons and personal experience of the impact of Asperger’s syndrome on family life.
I’ve had a far from sheltered up-bringing, and my broad life experience has included time spent working with disadvantaged people in Singapore, Uganda, South Africa and in the UK.
I work hard at keeping fit and particularly enjoy running, having successfully completed the London Marathon in addition to eight half-marathons. I’m an avid reader and enjoy getting to know people.
Training, qualifications & experience
2021 BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor
2017 Advanced Diploma in Relational Supervision - National Counselling Society
2015 BACP Accredited Counsellor
2015 Diploma in Spiritual Accompaniment - Network Counselling and Training, Bristol
2011 Diploma in Pastoral Counselling - University of Gloucestershire
1996 Post Graduate Certificate in Education - University of Bristol
1988 BA Joint Honours in History and Religious Studies - Manchester University
Member organisations
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).
Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.
Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.
All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Clergy spouses.
Baby loss, infertility.
Counselling Supervision
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Initial Session £25
Individual Session £60
Block of 6 sessions booked and paid for in advance £330
Reduced rates offered for student counsellors
When I work
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Monday to Thursday 8am-5pm
Further information
"Shelley started seeing me at a point in my life where I felt very low and rather helpless. Over the months that she has seen me I feel that I have regained my self-esteem and strength to push forward with my life in new and positive ways. She has been truly fantastic!"
What is counselling therapy?
Your therapy is for you - you’re the greatest expert on ‘you’. I’m here to help by providing a caring and supporting environment, together with the time and space you need, to talk through concerns and issues in a way that leads to a greater self-awareness and the clarity you need to move forward in making your own choices.
I’m not here to give you advice or tell you what to do; I won’t try to ‘fix’ you. Although I may challenge your preconceptions, you’re still best placed to know what will and won’t fit with who you are and the life you lead.
How much will I have to disclose?
Some people worry that they will have to go into every detail of their life, their background and family history. To be honest, it’s difficult to know what we will end-up touching on, but it is likely that we will touch on many of these aspects. However, please be assured that you will always be in control of what you want to disclose and the rate at which you want to disclose it.
How long does each session last?
Sessions last for one hour. They are typically once per week at the same time and day.
However, sometimes people’s situations or working patterns make this difficult, in which case a different more flexible schedule can be determined.
How long does counselling go on?
Effective work can be done in as few as 6 sessions. However, some issues may take longer and in this case we may decide upon a phased approach with regular reviews at the end of each phase.
Whatever the situation, we will discuss and agree upon the approach that’s appropriate to you in our first meeting. It’s completely open and transparent, and you won’t be forced into any long-term commitment.
