Shelley Henderson
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This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
About me
Hi, my name is Shelley (She/Her). Thank you for taking a look at my therapist profile! I am a fully qualified and insured Relational Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist. I work with individual young people (aged 16+) and adults residing within the United Kingdom.
I offer a warm, compassionate, confidential and non-judgmental space in which I hope that you can be yourself. I like to support my clients to thrive, so I aim to offer a balance between support and compassionate challenge. I believe that a therapeutic relationship that is respectful and trustworthy is the key to effective therapy. My practice of relational integrative therapy is person-centred, values human connection and allows me to draw from a range of theoretical approaches, concepts, tools and techniques.
I recognize that people want and need different things from therapy at different times, so I aim to work collaboratively with you at a pace that is sensitive and responsive to your individual needs. I am interested in getting to know you as a unique individual and understanding your experience of being human. It has been my honour and privilege to work with people from a wide age range, diverse cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds and with a range of neurotypes. My therapy practice is inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirmative, neurodivergent-affirmative and trauma-informed.
How counselling and psychotherapy can help:
People seek counselling and psychotherapy (therapy) for a range of reasons, which may include feeling overwhelmed, feeling stuck, wanting to know and understand yourself better, making sense of your individual experiences, understanding patterns within your relationships and navigating change.
Therapy can help you:
- Develop greater understanding of your difficulties or a particular issue.
- Offer someone impartial with specialist training to listen whilst you speak about your concerns.
- Develop self-awareness.
- Understand and express your emotions.
- Manage anxiety and stress.
- Feel more comfortable asking for help and support.
- Understand patterns of behaviour in relationships.
- Understand and recognize self-sabotaging impulses and behaviours.
- Develop self-confidence, particularly with asserting your boundaries.
- Develop healthier coping strategies.
- Process loss, grief and traumatic experiences.
- Develop more compassion and self-acceptance.
- Explore dilemmas and gain support whilst decision-making.
Perhaps you may have always felt ‘a bit different’ or as though you don’t fit in. Please know that you are welcome at my therapy practice and that I aim to meet you with kindness and without judgement. Therapy can be helpful by speaking to someone who is impartial and will offer guidance and support, without overwhelming you with advice. Therapy is a different type of support to speaking to friends or family.
I have supported people to explore a range of difficulties including (but not limited to):
- Abuse and neglect.
- Anxiety and stress.
- Confidence and low self-esteem.
- Depression and low mood.
- Emotional regulation.
- Exploring neurodivergence and neurodiversity (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourettes).
- Identity (including gender, sexual and relationship diversity).
- Bereavement, grief and loss experiences (e.g.) loss of occupation etc.
- Issues with family.
- Pregnancy loss and baby death.
- Relationship breakdown or issues (including friendships).
- Understanding and processing trauma.
As a therapist, I use a strengths-based approach and I trust that with the right level of support, each person coming to therapy can find a way to utilize their resources, move through difficulties, and find a more authentic way of being. I am experienced in supporting clients to explore difficult emotions, big questions and challenges that are relevant to them. I hope that you will feel seen, heard and understood whilst working with me. Come as you are.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
- Post Graduate Certificate in Interpersonal and Counselling Skills.
- BSc (Hons) Health Sciences.
- I am a member of the BACP Children, Young People and Families and Private Practice Divisions.
To complement my personal and professional experience, I have undertaken additional specialist training in:
- Working with Young People.
- Online and Telephone Counselling.
- Email Counselling.
- Domestic Abuse Counselling.
- Best Practice when supporting Autistic clients.
- Working with ADHD in the Therapy room.
- Sands Pregnancy loss and baby death.
- LGBT Foundation's Pride in Practice training.
- Working with Shame.
I am experienced in providing therapy to young people and adults through working in Schools, Further Education and Bereavement counselling services. I am also experienced in supporting people working in the Health and Social Care, Education and Veterinary Medicine sectors.
Member organisations
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
I have previously worked as a Communication Support Worker with Stroke survivors and have an understanding of the impact of such life changes on survivors and their carers.
My therapeutic interests are varied and include working with:
- Grief and loss experiences (including bereavement).
- Identity.
- Neurodivergence and neurodiversity.
- Trauma and dissociation.
- Working with people who have experienced narcissistic abuse.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 - £60.00
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
What to expect from an introductory call:
I offer an introductory discussion lasting 20 minutes, free of charge. This can take place by video call, using an online platform or by telephone.
Not only does this give you a chance to ask and answer any questions, it allows me an opportunity to understand your needs, what has brought you to therapy, and to see whether I will be an appropriate therapist for you. Please don’t worry- you are not obliged to go ahead with therapy sessions after this conversation. It is incredibly important that you and the therapist you decide to work with can connect with each other- this is often described as a good ‘fit’.
What happens during a first therapy session?
If you decide to work with me, our first therapy session will be an assessment and information gathering session, which will be charged at the full session fee. We will work collaboratively to give context to what has brought you to therapy, your personal history and your hopes for therapy. This session will form the foundation of our work together.
How to get in touch to arrange an initial discussion?
You can contact me in the first instance by telephone, email or text message. When leaving a voicemail message, please include your name and contact telephone number.
Please let me know whether there are any aspects of your identity, any communication differences or needs that are important to you.
Length of sessions and frequency:
Therapy sessions last for 50 minutes. I can accommodate extended sessions by prior agreement where there is a specific need. These will be priced accordingly.
Typically, sessions take place each week or fortnightly. I can accommodate set times each week and can also offer flexible appointments for people who juggle shifts etc., subject to availability.
Parents and Carers funding therapy sessions for young people (aged 16+) may wish to note that parent/carer consultations may incur additional fees to reflect additional work. This can be discussed during your initial enquiry.
Email Counselling:
Trial Email Counselling sessions are a paid for service that I offer in-line with my Email Counselling service. Please check out the relevant page on my website, which has an Email Counselling specific 'Frequently Asked Questions' section. Feel free to contact me directly with any queries.
When I work
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My current practice hours are:
- Monday 1pm-4pm.
- Tuesday 8am-5pm.
- Wednesday 2pm-8pm.
- Thursday 10am-8pm.
Further information
I am a Registered Member of the BACP and aim to abide by their 'Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions'. I also hold an enhanced DBS certificate. I have regular clinical supervision to ensure the quality of my work and to maintain and review ethical and safe therapeutic practice. I continue to develop cultural attunement, cultural competency and my understanding of issues related to social justice through personal and professional development and training. Having come from a multi-cultural and neurodivergent family, I am passionate about creating an inclusive practice and am committed to anti-oppressive therapeutic practice.
