Everyday stress that's built up
Money, work, family, the ordinary weight of running a life. It doesn't need to be a crisis to be worth talking through.
Counselling for adults in Cheltenham
I'm Shelley, and I offer one-to-one counselling for adults, whatever's brought you here. Face to face, by phone, or online, in fifty minute sessions built around you.
You don't need the right words ready
Some people arrive already knowing what they want to talk about. Others just know that something isn't sitting right and aren't sure how to explain it yet. Both are fine here. A hard day doesn't need fixing before you show up to a session. It can just be a hard day, and I'll help you find where to start from there.
What brings people to me
Anxiety and restlessness
When your mind won't settle, talking on its own isn't always enough. I keep sensory things like clay or fidget tools in the room, something for your hands while your head does the harder work.
Grief, and relationships that didn't end cleanly
Loss doesn't always mean someone has died. It can be a friendship, a relationship, or someone you've simply lost touch with. One activity I use is writing to that person, a letter or a postcard you never send, just to get the truth of it down on paper.
Not knowing where to start
Plenty of people get in touch without knowing what they'd even say in a first session. That's normal, not a barrier. I keep things like conversation cards in the room for exactly that moment, something to open with when the words won't come on their own.
However suits you
- Online.
- Zoom or FaceTime, wherever you're based. I'm a qualified online counsellor, a separate credential to general counselling, and it's what lets me work with clients anywhere in the world, not just locally.
- Telephone.
- The same reach as online, no video needed.
- Face to face.
- At my practice rooms, for clients in and around Gloucestershire who can travel in. More on where on my about page.
Every session runs fifty minutes, whichever format you choose. Cost is set out plainly on my fees page.
What happens when you get in touch
1You get in touch
Through the contact page or by phone. There's no online booking, just a straightforward way to start.
2Your first session
You tell me what's brought you here, and I'll explain how I work. There's no script to follow and nothing you need to have prepared in advance. If you're not sure where to begin, that's what the first session is for.
3Ongoing sessions
How long people come for varies enormously: some for a handful of sessions, others for much longer while something bigger works itself through. I'll check in with you on whether it's still useful, rather than working to a fixed programme decided at the start.
Questions people ask before their first session
Is it confidential?
Yes. What you tell me stays between us. The one exception is if I become seriously worried about your safety or somebody else's, in which case I have a professional duty to act, and I'll always try to talk to you about that first wherever I safely can. The full confidentiality statement is on my contact page.
How long do people come for?
There's no fixed number. Some people come for a short, focused block of sessions. Others come for months while something bigger works itself through. I agree it with you and keep reviewing it as it goes, rather than working to a timetable set in advance.
What if it's not right for me?
Not every counsellor is right for every person, and that's alright. You're free to stop at any point, and if it would help more to see someone else, I'll say so rather than let it drift on.
Ready to talk?
Get in touch through the contact page, or see the cost of sessions first if you'd rather know that before you write. If you're still deciding whether this is the right fit, my about page has more on how I work.