About me
Hello, I'm Shu, a counsellor and psychotherapist offering in-person therapy in Balham and Battersea, South West London, alongside online sessions for clients in the UK and abroad.
I work with people who have spent much of their lives showing up for others. You're thoughtful, capable and committed, often carrying responsibility and meeting expectations. You may be used to putting others first, but perhaps you're beginning to wonder what it might mean to offer that same care to yourself.
You might find yourself overthinking, questioning your decisions or struggling to set boundaries. Perhaps you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed or disconnected from what you want. Or maybe life looks fine on the outside, but something doesn't feel quite right.
Whether you're navigating a particular challenge, adjusting to changes in your life or simply feeling curious about yourself and what you want, therapy offers an opportunity to pause and explore.
I support adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, workplace stress and burnout. I also work with people exploring questions around identity, cultural belonging, family expectations and life transitions.
Therapy isn't only about working through difficulties. It can also be an opportunity to understand yourself more deeply, recognise familiar patterns, reconnect with what matters to you and consider how you want to move forward.
How I work
My approach is warm, thoughtful and collaborative, with the relationship between us at the heart of our work.
Our sessions are guided by you and what feels important to explore. I'll listen carefully, but I'll also ask questions, offer reflections and gently draw attention to things we might explore further. I won't arrive with a set of answers or assumptions about what's right for you. Instead, we'll work together to make sense of your experiences, with curiosity, openness and respect for your own understanding of yourself.
I work integratively, drawing primarily on person-centred and psychodynamic therapy. This means offering an accepting, non-judgemental space while also exploring how earlier experiences, relationships and expectations may influence the way you think, feel and relate to others today. We might notice recurring patterns or consider how past experiences connect with what's happening in your life now.
I recognise that we're all shaped by the world around us. Family, relationships, culture, faith, sexuality, social background and wider expectations can all influence how we see ourselves and navigate life. All parts of you are welcome in our conversations.
There's room for difficult emotions, uncertainty, conflicting feelings and moments of humour. We'll work at a pace that feels comfortable for you, allowing space for understanding, reflection and change.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a BACP-registered counsellor and psychotherapist with a CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I work integratively, drawing primarily on person-centred and psychodynamic approaches.
Alongside my private practice, I have worked as a counsellor at Balham Community Counselling Service, supporting adults from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. This has given me experience of working with a broad range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, burnout, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, grief and bereavement, life transitions, and concerns relating to identity, culture and belonging.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent over 20 years working in the corporate sector, primarily in HR. This background gives me a strong understanding of workplace relationships, professional pressures and burnout, as well as challenges around maternity leave, returning to work, career transitions and encountering the glass ceiling. I also recognise how closely our working lives can become connected to our sense of identity, confidence and self-worth.
My additional professional development includes:
Cultural competence and intercultural awareness
Neurodiversity and counselling
Crisis intervention through my work with the Shout Crisis Helpline
Counselling and psychotherapy with LGBTQ+ clients
Grief and bereavement
Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Online and telephone counselling
I am committed to ongoing professional development and regular clinical supervision, helping me maintain an ethical, reflective and responsive approach to my work.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 - £95.00
Free initial online session
Additional information
Fees
Online therapy: £80 per 50-minute session
In-person therapy: £95 per 50-minute session
Payment is due in advance or on the day of your appointment.
If helpful, we can also discuss arrangements for monthly payments or block invoicing.
Availability
I typically offer appointments Tuesday to Thursday between 09:30 and 15:00, with occasional availability on Mondays and Fridays.
Availability can vary, so please feel free to get in touch to discuss current options.
When I work
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Further information
I offer both in-person and online therapy, with the flexibility to combine the two if that works best for you.
Online sessions take place via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. In-person appointments are available in Balham and Battersea, South West London, in quiet, private and comfortable therapy rooms.
Getting started
I offer a free 20-minute online consultation, giving us an opportunity to meet, talk a little about what you're looking for and see whether working together feels right. You're welcome to ask any questions about therapy or what you might expect from our sessions.
Sessions last 50 minutes and take place weekly. Meeting regularly helps us build our therapeutic relationship and provides continuity as we begin to explore what brings you to therapy.
If you'd prefer fortnightly sessions, we can review this after four to six weekly sessions. This gives us time to get to know one another and establish our work together while allowing us to consider what feels most helpful for you as therapy progresses.
If you'd like to find out more or arrange an initial consultation, please do get in touch. I aim to respond within 24 hours on business days.
