About Shelley
Shelley Murphy is an ACA counsellor with 16 years of professional experience who helps people facing stress and anxiety. She meets people where they are and supports them as they take the first steps towards change. Her approach is practical and down-to-earth, with an emphasis on building on strengths people already have.
Shelley listens first and then works with each person to set clear, manageable goals. She uses a mix of approaches that suit the individual rather than a single fixed method.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on useful tools, clearer thinking, and practical ways to manage strong emotions and everyday pressures. People come to Shelley for help with relationship questions, low self-esteem, anger, coping with life changes, grief, addiction concerns and work stress. She also supports those dealing with trauma and abuse, intimacy issues and struggles connected to parenting and career decisions.
Shelley pays attention to attachment and abandonment issues when they affect current relationships. Her style is warm and client-centred, encouraging people to notice what matters most to them and to take small steps consistent with their values. Cognitive and behavioural tools are blended with emotion-focused work when feelings need to be understood more deeply.
Shelley offers straightforward guidance about skills such as managing worry, setting boundaries, improving communication and handling big transitions. The focus is on building practical habits that fit day-to-day life and on helping people feel more capable and calm as they move forward.
How Shelley Uses Therapy Approaches Online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to actions that match their values; it is useful for worries, low mood and decisions about life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thinking patterns and trying different behaviours to reduce anxiety and improve mood; it works well for stress, worry and practical problem-solving. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how past relationships shape current patterns and helps people develop healthier ways of connecting with others, which is helpful for intimacy and relationship-related concerns.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shelley will discuss goals and preferences and then recommend or combine approaches that suit each person's situation. This collaborative process means techniques are tested and adjusted over time rather than imposed at the start.
Online therapy with Shelley is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video sessions are useful for face-to-face conversation and using visual tools, phone sessions can fit a break at work or when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or messaging can support quick check-ins or ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives while focusing on practical skills and emotional understanding.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Anger management
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Gottman Method
- Hypnotherapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 16 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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