- Person-centred approach
- Trauma-informed practice
- Supports self-understanding
About Shirley
Shirley Banton is a BACP-registered counsellor with 11 years' experience. She draws on a person-centred base and works at a pace the client chooses. Shirley aims to create calm, steady support for people feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or emotionally exhausted.
Her approach combines direct listening with opportunities for deeper reflection. Sessions focus on understanding recurring patterns, rebuilding confidence, and practising clearer boundaries. She describes her style as gentle but honest, avoiding quick fixes or directive advice.
Shirley has substantial experience supporting people affected by domestic violence, coercive control and long-term relational trauma. She also brings more than 20 years’ work in further and higher education, which informs her understanding of anxiety, burnout and identity pressures faced by students and educators.
The therapist uses a mix of therapeutic methods to suit individual needs. These include client-centred work, cognitive behavioural ideas, mindfulness practices, psychodynamic thinking and solution-focused techniques. Shirley adapts these approaches rather than following a fixed formula.
People who benefit tend to be curious about themselves and willing to reflect at their own speed. The aim is clearer self-understanding, steadier mood, and more approachable ways of relating to others. Prospective clients are encouraged to check session options and practical details before booking.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding. The counsellor offers a non-judgemental space and follows the client’s pace, which helps when sorting out relationship patterns, self-esteem, or emotional exhaustion.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions interact. In practice this can mean trying small experiments or learning practical skills to manage anxiety, mood or sleep problems.
Mindfulness Therapy brings attention to the present moment with simple practices. It can be useful for reducing rumination, improving concentration, and calming stress responses.
Finding the right approach is a shared process. Shirley will work with each person to choose or adapt methods based on their needs, goals and preferences. That exploration is part of early sessions and ongoing planning.
Online therapy can help fit counselling into everyday life by reducing travel time and making sessions easier to slot into a busy schedule. It also allows work from different locations and can make follow-up between sessions simpler. The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the exact options before booking. The focus is on practical ways to make therapy usable and workable around daily commitments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
11+ years
Credentials
Listed on profile
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues can Shirley help with?
Shirley works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, codependency, addictions, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, depression and bipolar challenges.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is person-centred and collaborative, combining gentle honesty with opportunities for deeper reflection and practical strategies when useful.
How much experience does she have?
She has 11 years of counselling experience and over 20 years working in further and higher education, which informs her work with anxiety and burnout.
What credentials and region are listed?
The counsellor is listed with BACP and practices from the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and Shirley accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; please confirm current options with the service before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Shirley?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.