Shirley Banton, BACP

Shirley Banton is a BACP counsellor with 11 years' experience who focuses on helping people untangle difficult life moments. She offers a calm, steady presence and works at the client’s pace. Shirley aims to help people feel listened to and begin to rebuild confidence and direction.

Her approach is based on person-centred principles that treat the client as the expert in their own life. She also integrates trauma-aware ways of working and invites reflection on values and meaning when it feels helpful. Conversations are collaborative rather than instructive, with attention to emotional safety and steady pacing.

Shirley has long experience supporting people affected by relational abuse, including coercive control and long-term trauma. She also draws on many years in further and higher education, which gives insight into anxiety, burnout and identity pressures felt by students, educators and young adults in transition.

People who tend to benefit are those feeling overwhelmed, stuck, emotionally exhausted or disconnected from themselves. In practical terms Shirley helps clients notice repeating patterns, set firmer boundaries and develop strategies for day-to-day coping. She aims for consistent, thoughtful support rather than quick fixes.

Shirley lists midlife crisis among the issues she addresses, and she works with concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, ADHD and career matters. Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.

How Shirley’s approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on a respectful, non-judgemental relationship where the person sets the pace. It is useful for people who need to feel heard, rebuild confidence and make decisions about next steps. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact and uses practical steps to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, low mood and day-to-day coping.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shirley will discuss your goals and preferences and together you will choose methods that suit your situation. That process is collaborative and can adapt as needs change over time.

The biography states that Shirley offers online therapy. Please confirm the current session options before booking so you know what formats are available. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow follow-ups after challenging days. They also allow shorter check-ins or longer reflective sessions depending on what you need, and they can make it simpler to maintain continuity of care when circumstances change.