Shahna Thurston, BACP
Shahna Thurston is a counsellor who uses trauma-focused and person-centred approaches to help people manage difficult experiences.
About Shahna
Shahna Thurston is a counsellor who uses trauma-focused and person-centred approaches to help people manage difficult experiences. She holds a BACP credential and has five years of professional experience in the United Kingdom. Shahna aims to create a calm, respectful space where people can talk about painful events and begin to make sense of them.
Her style blends client-centred work with practical skill-building. She draws on mindfulness, existential ideas, and elements of dialectical behaviour therapy to help people manage strong emotions.
Background and approach
Sessions often include breathing and grounding exercises alongside reflective conversation. Shahna supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, grief and addiction. She also helps those facing major life changes, chronic health challenges, parenting strain and work-related pressure.
Discussions focus on what is happening now and on small steps that feel doable. In the room she works collaboratively, setting goals together and checking in about progress. Psychoeducation and simple exercises are used to teach new ways of coping.
The aim is to help people reduce distress and notice practical changes in day-to-day life. Beyond direct sessions, Shahna pays attention to how past patterns affect current relationships and decision making. She supports people to build routines that help sleep, eating and mood.
Her practical approach is intended for people who want clear tools alongside reflective therapy.
Details from the counsellor's public professional profile · registration number listed
← Browse all counsellorsRegistration
| Body | Registration number | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| BACP | 399232 | April 2026 |
Registration details are as listed on the counsellor's public profile. You can check any number with the registering body.
Sessions and payment
Sessions are held online through our partner platform, by video, phone or messaging depending on the counsellor.
Cost Costs are shown on the partner platform before you commit. If cost is a concern, ask about reduced-fee options.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Shahna lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- 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
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Ways of working Shahna names
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor lists and does not check training records.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online therapy
Shahna uses trauma-focused work and client-centred counselling alongside elements of dialectical behaviour therapy to guide online sessions. Trauma-focused work aims to help people process difficult experiences in a paced way and reduce how much those memories interfere with daily life. Client-centred counselling focuses on listening, validation and helping clients find their own solutions through reflective conversation. Dialectical behaviour therapy offers clear skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance and improving communication, which can be practised between sessions.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss your concerns, goals and preferences and suggest ways forward. Sessions are collaborative and may combine short skill exercises, mindful practices and talk therapy based on what helps you most.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video allows face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy around work, caring responsibilities and daily life while keeping the focus on practical coping and steady progress.
Frequently asked
What kinds of concerns does Shahna help with?
She works with trauma and abuse, anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, self-esteem, eating and sleeping problems, parenting strain, anger, bipolar, ADHD and several other concerns listed on her profile.
What is Shahna's therapeutic style?
Her practice blends trauma-focused work with client-centred counselling and elements of dialectical behaviour therapy, mindfulness and existential approaches. This means sessions can include reflective conversation, practical skills and mindful exercises.
How much experience does she have?
She has five years of professional experience working as a counsellor in the United Kingdom.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - BACP - and practices in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can people outside the UK work with her?
She is not currently taking international clients; sessions are arranged for people based in the United Kingdom.
What session formats are available?
Shahna offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How do fees and getting started work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and is billed via a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule according to therapist availability.
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