Sharon McHugh , BACP

Sharon McHugh is a counsellor who focuses on helping people recover from anxiety and trauma rooted in difficult childhoods, teenage years, or early adulthood. She works with adults who struggle with low self-esteem, people-pleasing, a sense of emptiness, or difficulty knowing who they are after learning coping strategies that no longer serve them. Sharon emphasizes a client-led approach - sessions are shaped by what the client brings and by the goals they want to achieve together.

Her style is open and empathic. In early meetings she explores clients' priorities and outlines a plan to work toward those goals, and during sessions she may ask questions to help deepen understanding and to view experiences from the client's perspective. Sharon combines curiosity with careful listening to help clients make sense of their feelings, behaviour patterns, and relationships.

Sharon has practised in both private and agency settings, supporting people with anxiety, trauma, grief, addiction-related concerns, relationship and intimacy issues, ADHD, sleep difficulties, career stress, compassion fatigue, and other life changes. She holds BACP accreditation - the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists - and has completed formal training as an integrative counsellor to Level 4, as a cognitive behaviour therapist to Level 5, and holds a diploma in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy. She continues to update her skills through ongoing professional training to broaden the ways she can help clients progress.

Sharon aims to create a nonjudgmental space where clients can explore difficult emotions and gradually build the changes they want to see in their lives.