Holly Shires

I provide compassionate and respectful counselling for people to explore the root cause of the challenges they may be facing. I aim to create a therapeutic space that is warm, kind and welcoming, in which each client feels safe to explore and identify their personal and professional goals, free from judgement and fear. I have a genuine interest in and compassion for every person and seek to learn and truly hear their unique story.

I have a special interest in providing counselling for trauma, grief and loss, offering a nurturing space for clients to express themselves freely, at their own pace. I then support clients to explore the world around their significant life events with gentle curiosity. We collaborate in partnership to find a way to move naturally through the pain or dissociation, to re-establish meaning and embrace life again. I am also trained in the Flash Technique, which is an evidence based intervention that significantly reduces traumatic disturbance. I work with many types of loss and trauma, including bereavement, medical trauma, interpersonal trauma and the loss of relationships, family, friends, careers, identity, and future dreams.

Another area I am passionate about is counselling for women in the workplace. I support women who are experiencing mental load burnout, difficulties with boundaries, assertiveness, and communication. With over ten years of corporate experience in marketing, communications and design, I have a thorough understanding of the complex and disenfranchised issues that women often face across multiple industries and at many levels, especially when transitioning into working motherhood. I also specialise in providing support for the unique challenges faced by vets and animal care workers, including providing counselling for the trauma, burnout and grief that is often experienced in this industry.

I work from a Narrative Therapy framework, where I invest the time and expertise to learn and understand the rich details of my client’s personal story. I offer respectful, judgement-free therapy and celebrate all forms of identity, communication and diversity. Upon learning each client’s unique story, I assist in uncovering the roadblocks they may face and help clients to identify the inner strengths and external supports that can be drawn upon and nurtured. I am inspired by each person’s innate determination to seek their best lives and move away from patterns that may be holding them back. I use an integrative approach to tailor a way forward and through the roadblocks. This can include such outcomes as developing healthy coping strategies, breaking unhelpful patterns to create new pathways, living by core values, improving relationships, improving communication skills and emotion regulation, developing self-compassion, and moving through trauma and grief to resilience and new meaning.

I am trained in and practice CBT, ACT, Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Grief Therapy, Trauma-Informed Approaches, Flash Technique (FT), Crisis Therapy and am continuing my learning in Schema Therapy and DBT.