Shelley Hughes, NCPS
A calm, story-focused counsellor for life changes
Details
| Name | Shelley Hughes |
|---|---|
| Credentials | NCPS |
| Based in | United Kingdom |
| Registered with | NCPS |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 5 |
About Shelley
Shelley Hughes offers calm, straightforward support for people facing stress, anxiety and life changes. She helps individuals who feel stuck by listening closely and helping them tell their story in a different way. Shelley’s style is practical and down-to-earth so parents and busy adults can fit work into their lives.
Shelley uses narrative ideas to help people separate themselves from the problems they live with. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-based work to help clients notice what matters and build more helpful habits.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on small, achievable steps rather than quick fixes. With five years of practice and more than 3,000 hours of counselling experience, Shelley has supported people through trauma, grief and relationship strain. She works with a wide range of concerns including depression, bipolar, addictions, ADHD and caregiving stress.
Her approach is not one-size-fits-all; she adapts tools to the person in front of her. Shelley places value on creating a non-judgemental space where clients can speak plainly about fears and hopes. She encourages clients to try different ways of responding to old patterns and to notice what changes feel right.
Progress is tracked in simple, concrete ways. Sessions can address practical issues such as sleeping, eating and work-life balance alongside deeper themes like attachment wounds or past abuse. Shelley supports people who identify as LGBT and those coping with life transitions, illness or bereavement.
Her goal is to help clients build clearer direction and steadier day-to-day coping.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Trauma and abuse among the things Shelley works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Existential Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Shelley among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Shelley directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Shelley directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and ACT approaches work online
Story-based work such as Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from the problems they live with. In sessions clients are invited to reframe difficult events and notice alternative stories that open up new choices. This can be useful for relationship strain, identity questions and eating or body-image concerns.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on what matters most and on simple actions that move a person toward their values. It helps with anxiety, depression, chronic pain and coping with major life changes by teaching practical exercises and steady routines.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shelley will collaborate with each person to match methods to goals and preferences, mixing narrative, ACT and attachment ideas as needed. The plan evolves from session to session so it fits real life.
Online therapy offers flexibility and access. Video calls let people work face-to-face from distant locations, phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit a short break at work, while live chat and text messaging suit quick check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent alongside family, work and travel.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns can Shelley help with?
Shelley works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem and addictions. She also supports people facing ADHD, bipolar, depression and caregiving stress.
What is Shelley’s therapeutic style?
She blends narrative work with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-informed techniques to help people tell a different story about their lives. The emphasis is on practical steps and noticing what matters most.
How much experience does she have?
Shelley has five years of experience and reports over 3,000 hours of counselling practice. That background informs how she structures sessions and supports clients through change.
Where is Shelley based and what are her credentials?
She practises from the United Kingdom and holds the credential NCPS as provided in her profile.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English. Shelley also accepts international clients who can take part in remote sessions from other countries.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Shelley?
Start by clicking the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Shelley are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Shelley where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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