Shelley Murphy

Shelley Murphy is an ACA counsellor with 16 years of clinical experience. She focuses on women's issues alongside a broad range of concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationships, anger, self-esteem and motivation. Shelley aims to create a calm space where people can start making small, practical changes toward a more satisfying life.

Shelley works from the view that each person knows their story best. She looks for strengths to build on and helps clients find workable steps through tough moments. Conversations are direct but warm, and the pace is set by the person attending.

Her background includes long-term practice in common challenges like grief, trauma and depression, and in concerns such as addiction, intimacy, parenting and career stress. Shelley also supports people navigating attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, body-image struggles and compassion fatigue.

Therapy draws on a mix of practical approaches. Shelley uses elements of cognitive behavioural techniques and ACT to help with unhelpful thinking and to clarify values. She also integrates attachment-focused and emotionally-focused work to improve how people relate and feel safe in relationships.

Sessions are aimed at helping people identify clear goals, learn useful skills, and practise them between meetings. The focus is on steady progress rather than quick fixes. Those interested in starting are asked to use the site process to match and schedule a first appointment.

How therapy approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people pin down their values and take small committed steps even when feelings are difficult; it is useful for anxiety, stress and motivation struggles. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, focuses on noticing unhelpful thought patterns and learning practical skills to test and change them, which often helps with low mood and worry. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns affect present-day connections and can be helpful for intimacy, communication and attachment concerns.

Choosing the best approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss options and together with the client decide which methods suit their needs and goals. This happens in conversation and can change as therapy progresses, so the approach is collaborative and responsive.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm current session formats before booking as the biography does not list them explicitly. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy life - they can reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins during a workday and let people join from different locations. They also allow clients to use strategies learned in real-time settings and to practise new skills between meetings. Discuss practical arrangements with the therapist when you schedule your first appointment to make sure the format fits your routine.