Shirley Rocks, BACP

Shirley Rocks is a United Kingdom based counsellor who brings a compassionate, client-centred approach to supporting adults through difficult life transitions. She trained with the Mid Ulster Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapy and with Cruse Bereavement, gaining specific experience in grief, loss, and emotional transition that underpins her work. As a holder of the BACP credential, she practices with professional standards and a strong commitment to ethical care.

Shirley creates a respectful, non-judgemental space where people are invited to explore what is troubling them at their own pace. She works with a wide range of concerns including grief and bereavement, addiction, sleep difficulties, anxiety, low self-confidence, and periods of emotional overwhelm, tailoring interventions to each person’s needs, strengths, and goals. Her aim is to help clients develop clearer self-understanding, greater emotional resilience, and a kinder relationship with themselves.

Alongside traditional counselling, Shirley offers poetry and guided journaling as optional therapeutic tools for those who find creative expression helpful. No prior writing experience is required - these methods are always offered gently and with care. Above all, Shirley approaches each therapeutic relationship with warmth, sensitivity, and compassion, supporting people as they take steps toward healing, clarity, and a more fulfilling life.

Therapeutic approaches offered through online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, commonly called ACT, helps people clarify what matters most to them and build small, practical steps toward those values. It combines mindfulness and behavioural strategies to reduce the hold of unhelpful thoughts and support action toward meaningful goals, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, and stress.

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns of relating that formed in early relationships and looks at how those patterns affect current connections. It can help with relationship difficulties, attachment wounds, abandonment concerns, and improving emotional closeness.

Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s experience at the heart of the work, offering acceptance, empathy, and a non-directive space to explore feelings and choices. This approach supports self-discovery, self-esteem, and stronger emotional coping.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Shirley will work collaboratively with each client to identify which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts together with the person in therapy rather than prescribing a single path.

Online therapy with Shirley is offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to access registered professionals from wherever you are, support continuity of care, and allow clients to choose the format that best suits their life and therapeutic aims.