Sharon McHugh

Sharon McHugh is a counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) with seven years of practice in the United Kingdom. She focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma from difficult upbringings, and life transitions including midlife questions and life purpose concerns.

Sharon works in a way that puts the client in charge of each session. She invites people to bring whatever matters most to them and uses questions to help uncover patterns and meanings. Sessions begin by clarifying goals and making a simple plan for what to work on together.

Her background includes both private practice and work in external agencies, where she supported people coping with anxiety and trauma rooted in environments that discouraged authenticity. Sharon describes common effects of those experiences as low self-esteem, people-pleasing and a sense of not knowing oneself. She helps people notice those patterns and consider practical steps to change them.

Her training includes an Integrative Counselling Level 4 qualification, a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) Level 5 qualification, and a diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. She continues to attend professional courses to extend her skills and approaches.

In sessions Sharon may use client-centred conversation, CBT techniques and solution-focused ideas to work on practical coping and meaning-making. The focus is on helping people make sense of their history and take manageable steps toward clearer priorities and steadier day-to-day coping.

How Sharon’s approaches translate to online work

Sharon uses client-centred practice and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as core ways of working. Client-centred work means conversations are led by the client and focus on what they bring to the session. It helps when someone needs space to talk through confusing feelings and decide what matters next. CBT looks at thoughts, feelings and behaviours and uses practical tools to change patterns that keep problems going; it is often useful for anxiety, low mood and sleep difficulties.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills can also be part of the work when emotional regulation and impulsivity are concerns. DBT offers straightforward strategies for managing strong emotions and reducing impulsive actions, which can be helpful for panic, impulsivity and stress responses.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. Sharon will talk with the client about their goals, needs and preferences and together they will decide which methods to try and how to adapt them for online sessions.

The original biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm the current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and remove travel time. These practical benefits often help people keep therapy consistent while juggling work and family commitments.