Shahna Thurston, BACP
Compassionate narrative and person-centred counsellor
Details
| Name | Shahna Thurston |
|---|---|
| Credentials | BACP |
| Based in | United Kingdom |
| Registered with | BACP |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 5 |
About Shahna
Shahna Thurston is a counsellor with five years of professional experience. She holds the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy credential BACP and works from a narrative and person-centred perspective. Shahna aims to help people untangle painful stories and find clearer ways forward.
She uses narrative therapy to help clients examine the stories they tell about themselves. That often makes room for different choices and new personal meanings. She also draws on client-centred ideas to create a calm, respectful space where people can talk openly.
Background and approach
Her work commonly addresses anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties. Shahna also supports people facing trauma and abuse, grief, issues around intimacy and a wide range of life changes. Practical skills, mindfulness and emotion management are part of the sessions when helpful.
Shahna has experience helping people with parenting pressures, career concerns, chronic illness and caregiver strain. She pays attention to how attachment, abandonment and body image issues shape everyday coping. The focus is on small, manageable steps rather than big, sudden fixes.
Sessions are offered in English and take place online by video, phone, live chat or text messaging. She works with people across the United Kingdom and follows a subscription model for sessions that can be cancelled at any time.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship issues among the things Shahna works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Existential Therapy: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Shahna among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Shahna directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Shahna directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and skills-based approaches work online
Shahna uses narrative therapy to help people notice and re-author the stories that shape their day-to-day thoughts and actions. That approach helps when worry, low self-worth or past hurt make certain patterns feel inevitable. She also uses client-centred work to keep sessions grounded in respect and honest listening, which supports people who need space to make sense of difficult experiences.These approaches are offered together with practical emotion-regulation tools drawn from DBT-style methods when needed. Those tools help with managing intense feelings, reducing impulsive reactions and building routines that support steadier mood. The therapist will work collaboratively to choose approaches that match your needs and goals rather than prescribing a single method.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging. Video makes it easy to read visual cues and have a fuller conversation. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a break at work. Live chat or text messaging allow shorter check-ins and ongoing written reflection. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into everyday life for many people.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns can Shahna help with?
Shahna works with a wide range of issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, low self-esteem, relationship problems, grief and trauma. She also supports people dealing with parenting pressures, chronic illness, caregiver stress and career changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style blends narrative therapy with client-centred and mindfulness approaches and draws on DBT principles when emotion regulation is needed. The work is collaborative and practical, focusing on understanding personal stories and building day-to-day skills.
What is Shahna's professional background?
She has five years of professional experience and holds the BACP credential from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her experience includes supporting people through trauma, relationship difficulties and life transitions.
Where is Shahna based and what does her credential mean?
Shahna practises in the United Kingdom and is listed with the BACP. BACP refers to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the UK work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time and works with people within the United Kingdom.
What formats are available for sessions?
Sessions can be carried out by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are fees and getting started handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability and operate via a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. To start, use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Shahna are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Shahna where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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