About Sharon
Sharon McHugh is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with seven years' experience. She focuses on helping people recover from anxiety and trauma that developed during difficult early years. Sharon aims to create a space where clients lead the sessions and bring what matters most to them.
Her style is open and empathetic. In the first session she and the client map out goals and make a plan together.
How Sharon works
Sessions are guided by the client's priorities, with Sharon asking questions to help make sense of experiences from the client's point of view. Sharon has worked in independent practice and in external agencies. That background means she is used to supporting people who felt they could not be themselves as they grew up, and who adopted coping strategies to feel safer.
Over time those strategies can lead to low self-esteem, people-pleasing, and a loss of a clear sense of self. She holds qualifications that include an Integrative Counsellor Level 4, a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist Level 5, and a diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. Sharon keeps her continuing professional development up to date by attending regular courses and workshops.
When someone starts with Sharon, the focus is practical and gradual. Conversations aim to identify helpful changes and small steps forward. The overall goal is to support healing and to help each person become more like the person they want to be.
Sharon lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Sharon works with
The areas below are the ones Sharon selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Career difficulties
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 7 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How therapeutic approaches meet online care
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's experience without judgement, helping them clarify what they want to change and build self-awareness. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thought and behaviour, using straightforward exercises to tackle anxiety, low mood and unhelpful habits. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) teaches practical skills for managing intense emotions and impulsivity, useful when stress or panic gets in the way of daily life.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, try out techniques and adapt methods based on what helps most. This is a collaborative process and plans can change as progress is made.
Online sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different days and routines. Video gives face-to-face interaction, phone needs less bandwidth, live chat can be useful for short check-ins and text messaging supports ongoing contact between scheduled sessions. These options make it easier to fit counselling around work, caring duties and other commitments.
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Common questions
What concerns can Sharon help with?
How would sessions feel and what style is used?
What experience does the counsellor bring?
What professional credentials and region are relevant?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
What formats are available for appointments?
How are costs and payments handled?
How do I begin working with Sharon?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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