Shahna Thurston, BACP

Shahna Thurston works from humanistic and person-centred principles to help people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain. She brings a calm, down-to-earth manner and focuses on practical ways to manage difficult feelings. Shahna is named up front so people know who they will meet. She has five years of professional experience and holds the BACP credential from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Shahna blends client-centred work with approaches such as dialectical behaviour therapy and existential therapy to address a wide range of concerns. She emphasises skills you can use between sessions, including mindfulness and motivational techniques. Common issues Shahna supports include stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and relationship difficulties. She also helps with grief, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, intimacy-related issues, sleeping and eating problems, parenting strain, anger, and career worries. Additional focuses include body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness and co-morbidity. In sessions she listens first, then helps people make sense of patterns and try new ways of coping. Conversations cover thoughts, feelings and practical steps like grounding, emotion regulation, and clearer communication. The style is collaborative rather than directive. Practical arrangements are flexible. Shahna works with people in the United Kingdom and conducts sessions in English by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging. The process starts with a short questionnaire and scheduling to match needs and availability.

Approaches you can use in online sessions

Shahna commonly draws on client-centred therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and mindfulness practice. Client-centred therapy focuses on a respectful, non-judgemental conversation where the person’s priorities lead the work; it helps with self-esteem, confusion about life choices and relationship concerns. Dialectical behaviour therapy emphasises emotion regulation, distress tolerance and clearer communication, and it can be useful for intense emotions, anxiety and patterns that cause relationship strain. Mindfulness therapy uses simple attention and grounding exercises to reduce rumination and support better sleep and stress management. She treats finding the right approach as a team effort. The therapist will listen to current problems, goals and preferences and suggest techniques to try. Together the person and therapist review what helps and adjust the plan as needed, combining skills, reflective work and practical steps. Online formats - video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text messaging - give practical flexibility. Video is good for a fuller conversation and visual cues, phone works when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins, live chat suits people who prefer typing in the moment, and text messaging is useful for ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, childcare and daily life while using the chosen therapeutic methods.