Shahna Thurston, BACP

Shahna Thurston practices from a person-centred and humanistic perspective. She combines these approaches with existential thinking and practical skills work to help people with everyday struggles. Shahna holds BACP accreditation and has five years of professional experience in the United Kingdom.

She focuses on issues such as anxiety, stress, addictions, and depression. Relationship difficulties, self-esteem, grief and trauma are also central to her work. Shahna pays attention to how life transitions and ongoing pressures like caregiving or chronic illness affect wellbeing.

In sessions she uses mindfulness and skills-based methods drawn from dialectical behaviour approaches to help manage overwhelming feelings. Motivational interviewing and narrative techniques are used to clarify values and change patterns. The emphasis is on simple, practical steps that can be tried between meetings.

Shahna aims to create a warm, non-judgemental space where people can talk openly. She helps clients make sense of painful events and learn ways to cope day to day. The focus is on small, sustainable changes that fit into ordinary life.

Her work addresses a wide range of concerns including sleep and eating issues, intimacy-related difficulties, parenting stress, career challenges and neurodiversity-related concerns such as ADHD. Shahna supports people through loss, burnout and compassion fatigue, helping them rebuild balance and confidence.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Client-Centred Therapy places attention on the person's experience and aims to make conversations feel grounded and respectful. This approach helps when someone wants a therapist who listens and follows their lead to make sense of things. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ideas offer practical skills for managing strong emotions and reducing impulsive behaviour; these skills can be introduced in short exercises and practised between sessions. Existential Therapy focuses on meaning, choice and values, and can help people facing life transitions or wanting clearer direction.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust them as progress is made, keeping the process collaborative and flexible.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow short check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. It also makes skills practice and guided exercises simple to follow at home or during a break from work. Registered or accredited professionals aim to adapt exercises and conversations so they work well in an online setting.