Sharon Lenihan, BACP

Sharon Lenihan is a counsellor with five years' experience supporting people through trauma, anxiety and life changes. She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and draws on that professional framework in her work. Sharon aims to create a calm, non-judgemental space where people can be heard and believed.

Her style is warm and collaborative. She adapts sessions to each person's needs and moves at a pace that feels safe. Sharon uses a mix of person-centred listening, cognitive approaches and psychodynamic ideas alongside mindfulness techniques to help people manage difficult feelings.

Typical concerns she supports include stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family difficulties, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem and struggles with sleep or eating. She also works with issues around identity, parenting strain, career pressures, compassion fatigue and ADHD related challenges.

Before training as a counsellor she spent many years in safeguarding roles. That background means she is experienced in holding sensitive material, working with risk and navigating complex systems alongside individuals in crisis.

In sessions she helps people process overwhelming experiences and build practical coping strategies. The focus is on rebuilding a sense of safety, self-trust and resilience while addressing shame, panic, low mood or relational strain. Sharon aims to be a steady presence while people find their way forward.

People meet her to understand the impact of past events, manage intense emotions, or find clearer ways to cope with current pressures. She works collaboratively to clarify goals and adapt plans as needs change.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Sharon uses a blend of person-centred work and cognitive methods to help people make sense of current struggles and build practical skills. Person-centred work focuses on listening without judgement and helping people find their own answers, which suits those seeking understanding and emotional support. Cognitive approaches look at unhelpful thinking patterns and teach simple strategies to manage anxiety, low mood and panic.

She also draws on psychodynamic ideas to explore how past experiences shape present reactions and on mindfulness techniques to strengthen grounding and emotional regulation. Together these approaches give different ways to understand a problem and try new responses. Sharon will talk with each person about which methods feel most helpful and adapt the mix as goals and needs change so the therapy remains collaborative and responsive.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people work face to face from wherever they are; phone sessions suit those who prefer not to use video or who have lower bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging make brief check-ins or reflective notes easier between sessions and can fit into a busy day. Many people find this range helps therapy slot into life while still getting steady, ongoing support from a registered professional.