SURBITON K6 & ONLINE
Therapy. For people who don't look like they need therapy.
Because looking fine and feeling fine
aren't always the same thing.
When you're used to being the one who holds everything
You may be the person other people rely on. The one who keeps things moving, sorts things out, carries the responsibility and gets on with it. From the outside, life may look perfectly fine. You might even tell yourself that it is. But holding everything together can come at a cost. Sometimes it’s only when something shifts - a relationship, work, family life, a loss or simply the feeling that you can’t keep doing things in quite the same way - that what has been sitting underneath becomes harder to ignore.
You don't need to be falling apart to need somewhere to put things down
ABOUT SHELLEY
Understanding yourself is
only the beginning
My approach is warm, empathic and engaged. I won’t sit silently while you do all the work. I believe therapy is a conversation - something we explore together.
I’m interested not only in what has happened to us, but in how our experiences shape the way we think, feel, relate and respond.
My work is informed by attachment theory, existentialism, neuroscience and an understanding of the connection between mind and body. I appreciate how our experiences can be held and expressed somatically.
I bring curiosity and care to the work, alongside a willingness to think with you about what might help to bring about meaningful change. Sometimes that means making sense of the past, sometimes it means looking at what is happening in your life, and sometimes its noticing what is happening between us in the here and now.
You may see yourself here
Perhaps in the way you relate to others, in the weight you carry, or in the sense that something in your life has shifted
AREAS I WORK WITH
RELATIONSHIPS & ATTACHMENT
For patterns that keep showing up in relationships. The pull to please, to protect, to withdraw or hold on, often log after they have stopped helping.
CHANGE & LOSS
For the disorientation that can come with endings, grief and change. When the old shape of life no longer fits, and the new one has not quite formed.
OVERWHELM & RESPONSIBILITY
The strain of being the one who keeps everything going. When carrying so much for so long has started to feel unsustainable.
HOW I WORK
Therapy that goes beneath the surface
You might already understand a lot about yourself. Why you react in certain ways, where particular patterns came from, or what you think needs to change. Understanding can be important, but it doesn’t always mean things feel different.
My approach is relational. That means I pay attention not only to what you tell me, but also to what happens between us in the room — the moments you pull back, seek reassurance, feel misunderstood, or find it difficult to say what you really mean. These moments can help us understand patterns that may also show up elsewhere in your life
Therapy gives you the opportunity to experience things differently, not just understand them differently. Rather than only talking about change, we can begin to work through familiar responses in the relationship itself.
TAKING THE FIRST STEP
You don't need to know exactly what you want to say
People come to therapy for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes something specific has happened. Sometimes something has been building for a long time. And sometimes there is simply a sense that something isn't quite right, even if its difficult to put into words.
You don't need to arrive with a clear explanation or know what you want to change.
We begin with where you are.
Work with me
If you're wondering if we might be a good fit, we can start with a brief conversation
Arrange an initial conversation