COUNSELLING & COACHING WITH SHELLEY HART
Just...because.
Therapeutic Modalities
There are many different approaches to counselling and therapy. I’m an integrative therapist, which means I don’t practise any one of these approaches in isolation. I draw from different modalities depending on you, what you bring and what feels most useful.
Below are some of the approaches I may draw on in our work together.

Person-Centred Therapy
Self-actualising - Non-directive
Person-centred therapy is based on the belief that you are the expert on your own life. Rather than telling you what to do or directing the conversation, I offer a supportive, non-judgemental space where you can explore what’s happening for you at your own pace.
At the heart of this approach are empathy, honesty and acceptance. Feeling genuinely heard and understood can help you make sense of your experiences, develop greater self-awareness and find your own way forward.

Psychodynamic Therapy
Understanding how the past can shape the present
Psychodynamic therapy explores how earlier experiences and relationships may continue to influence how you feel, behave and relate to others today. Sometimes we find ourselves repeating patterns or reacting in ways we don’t fully understand, even when we know they’re not helping us.
Together, we can become curious about where those patterns may have come from and what keeps them going. Developing that understanding can give you more choice in how you respond to yourself, other people and the situations you find yourself in.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Exploring the relationship between thoughts, feelings & behaviour
CBT looks at how the way we think about ourselves, other people and situations can affect how we feel and behave. Sometimes we can get caught in patterns of thinking or responding that may once have made sense but are no longer helping us.
Together, we can notice and explore these patterns, consider different perspectives and experiment with new ways of responding. CBT can also offer practical tools and strategies that you can use outside our sessions.

Existential Therapy
Exploring meaning, choice & how you want to live
Existential therapy explores some of the bigger questions we can face in life — around meaning, identity, freedom, responsibility, relationships, loss and mortality. These questions can become particularly present during periods of change, uncertainty or when life no longer feels quite as it once did.
Rather than looking for a ‘right’ answer, we can explore what these questions mean for you, the choices available to you and how you want to live your life.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Understanding the different parts of ourselves
IFS is an approach I particularly enjoy working with. It starts from the idea that we all have different ‘parts’ of ourselves. You might recognise a part that worries, criticises, avoids, strives to get things right or steps in to protect you when something feels difficult.
Rather than trying to get rid of these parts, we get curious about them — what they’re trying to do for you, where they may have come from and what they might need. This can help make sense of patterns that otherwise feel confusing or hard to change, and help you develop a different relationship with yourself.

Rewind Trauma Therapy
A technique for working with traumatic memories
The Rewind Technique is a gentle approach that can be used when a traumatic or distressing memory continues to trigger a strong emotional response. Unlike some approaches to trauma, you don't need to describe the experience in detail or repeatedly revisit what happened.
Using guided relaxation and visualisation, Rewind aims to help the brain process the memory differently, so that remembering what happened may no longer bring the same intensity of emotional or physical response.