Shelley Williams

My approach is warm, relational and non-judgemental. I work with a broad range of issues, including anxiety, depression, family and relationship issues, bereavement and trauma. Whatever brings you to seek counselling now, through exploring with you what is happening, and how you are feeling, in the context of your own unique life story, I aim to help you work through what is deeply troubling you. This may mean helping you to work through some difficult and painful experiences and feelings, and so I am mindful of your needs and will be guided by you. I aim to provide a confidential space for discovery without imposing any pre-determined assumptions, supporting you to use your therapy at your own pace.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy
Even when our distress has clear links to present circumstances, the roots and depth of our distress may connect, unconsciously, to earlier losses, relationships and experiences. The ways that we learned to cope with distress and conflict in the past may be less helpful to us now. To use a metaphor, if we realise we are travelling around the world using an ancient map, it will make more sense to us why we are lost when we discover that the borders and place names have changed. Through the therapeutic relationship, psychotherapy can help us to notice when our relational maps are out of date and to redraw our internal maps to better represent the here and now, enabling us to find inner resources, to develop healthier relationships with ourselves and with others, and liberating us to live a more fulfilling life in the present.

Not all that lurks in the shadows is a menace
Just as a novelist might switch character perspectives to introduce a new way for the reader to interpret the unfolding narrative, working with a therapist can help to uncover new perspectives on your experiences and relationships. Through therapy, you may begin to feel understood in new ways, find new meaning, and come to know aspects of yourself that have previously remained outside of your awareness. It is not unusual to feel anxious that you might discover troubling aspects about yourself, and your significant relationships, through therapy. However, given oxygen, these forgotten aspects of ourselves can become less menacing and, even, serve to strengthen our character. We may also be surprised to discover positive aspects of ourselves that we have been busily attributing to others around us and have failed to notice in ourselves.


"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." C.G. Jung

What next?

An initial meeting will give us the opportunity to decide whether I am the right person for you at this time and will enable me to assess how to best meet your needs. Many people find this first experience of being listened to, without judgment, therapeutic in itself. If you would like to talk in confidence, please feel welcome to get in touch by email or phone.