Sharon Cassidy

I am an experienced Person Centred Counsellor, I qualified at Warwick University, in 2007 and I am an Accredited member with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (bacp). I have practiced for 15 years working with adults and young people over the age of 16 and have worked with hundreds of clients who have struggled with a wide range of complex personal problems and mental health difficulties. 

I am offering Online Counselling Sessions. I offer a free Introductory session, which is an opportunity to get a sense of each other and a feel for whether we could work together. We can discuss any concerns you have about getting started and I will try to answer any questions you have. Please call or email to book your first session.

How can I help?

The aim of counselling is to increase self awareness, self reliance and to resolve difficult feelings with the intention to bring about effective change to enhance well being and quality of life.

Often in life we ignore what we need to do to make us truly happy as we are busy trying to gain the approval of those close to us, often to no avail. This creates incongruence , which is experienced as anxiety. Anxiety is the way your body tries to alert you to the painful discord between your true self and the self you present to the world. The harder you try to please everyone else the more unhappy you can become. The anxiety builds and this becomes a problem in itself. My role is to help you become aware of this incongruence such that you can begin to make choices which are beneficial and are aligned to your own needs and aspirations in life, when we can do this the anxiety is resolved.

My approach is to help you to explore the self which is often hidden beneath the persona you present to the world. With courage and honesty, I will share with you what I see and hear so you can experience yourself from many different perspectives. More than holding up a mirror, i will offer up a prism to enable you to see the many different facets of your experience and feelings. I am resolved to help you become aware of any discord between what you say and what your body language and tone of voice communicate. I offer you my commitment, courage and honesty to help you to dig deeper into this discord, to uncover what is unsaid, or unacknowledged to help you discover your true inner self.

Part of developing your self awareness is to become aware of the unconscious patterns and automatic thoughts that are occurring in your everyday life. By understanding these reflex processes it is possible to make choices and changes which were previously unavailable to you.

I am highly skilled at capturing the micro processes that occur between us, moment by moment, and summarising these so you may benefit from becoming more aware of how these aspects of yourself influence your relationship with others. My secure sense of self, self-awareness, skill and experience enables me to steadfastly support you when you express a wide range of emotions including anger, frustration, resentment or fear, safely in your sessions, even when this is directed at me. I am able to ensure that you can experience this safely and to use these moments to learn more about yourself. I won’t give up or shy away when the going gets tough, I’ll hang in there with you with a commitment for you to learn all that you can about yourself and to change life limiting behaviours.

In my voluntary role at a large counselling agency in Birmingham, which I held from 2005 until 2019 , I was involved in developing the overall management processes of the Centre, coordinated In-Service Training, facilitated role play and observation in the assessment of potential Placement Counsellors, was a Student Mentor, and I was also a Team Leader for many years. I have gained addition experience working with young people over the age of sixteen, and have completed considerable training regarding Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Face to Face Counselling is £50 per session.

Online Counselling £40 per session.