Sharon McHugh, BACP

Sharon McHugh specialises in supporting people to heal from anxiety and trauma rooted in difficult childhoods, teenage years, or early adulthood. She works with individuals who are seeking to understand how early experiences shaped their coping strategies and to find new ways of living more authentically.

Sessions with Sharon are led by the client - the space is intended for whatever the person brings, and she focuses on creating a nonjudgemental environment where thoughts and feelings can be explored without pressure. In the first meeting she and the client clarify goals and agree a plan for how the counselling will proceed.

During ongoing work Sharon may use gentle, exploratory questioning to help uncover underlying patterns and to view the client’s life from their perspective. This collaborative exploration helps both the client and Sharon make sense of current difficulties and identify practical steps toward change.

Sharon has practised in both private practice and external agencies, supporting people whose anxiety and trauma stem from growing up where it was not safe to be themselves. She often works with issues that follow from those early experiences - low self-esteem, people-pleasing, a sense of not knowing one’s true self - and she aims to help clients find where to begin when they feel stuck and unsure how to change.

Her formal training includes qualification as an Integrative Counsellor to Level 4, qualification as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist at Level 5, and a diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. She holds the BACP credential - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and continues to attend professional courses to refresh core skills and learn additional approaches so she can offer a broader therapeutic toolkit to the people she supports. Sharon welcomes the opportunity to support individuals on their journey toward healing and self-understanding.