Shirley Banton

• Stress and anxiety
• Trauma and abuse
• Mindfulness practice

About Shirley

Shirley Banton helps people with stress, anxiety, trauma and relationship difficulties using a person-centred approach combined with transpersonal ideas and trauma-informed practice. She is a BACP counsellor with 11 years of experience working with adults.

Shirley focuses on practical, steady work rather than quick fixes. Sessions are collaborative and paced to the client. She supports people who want to reflect, understand patterns, and build clearer boundaries.

She has considerable experience supporting people affected by domestic violence and long-term relational abuse, including coercive control. That background shapes how she responds to trauma and to safety when working with difficult past experiences.

For more than two decades Shirley has also worked in further and higher education. That experience gives her insight into stress, burnout and identity issues often seen in students, educators and young adults during life transitions.

Sessions aim to help people feel less overwhelmed and more connected to themselves. Shirley combines person-centred listening with selective tools from cognitive and solution-focused approaches when helpful. She also uses psychodynamic ideas and mindfulness practices to open up reflection and meaning-making.

Shirley offers therapy online and welcomes clients based in the United Kingdom and internationally. Prospective clients begin by completing a short matching questionnaire and then booking an initial session.

How Shirley uses different approaches in online sessions

Shirley draws on person-centred practice and mindfulness in online work. Person-centred therapy focuses on listening, acceptance and helping people make sense of their feelings; it suits issues like low self-worth and relationship patterns. Mindfulness therapy offers practical attention exercises to reduce stress and improve sleep or concentration.

She also uses elements of cognitive behavioural thinking when useful, which focuses on identifying helpful and unhelpful thoughts and trying small behavioural experiments to test them. These methods are discussed together so the approach fits what the client wants to work on. The therapist will collaborate with the client to agree which methods to try and when, checking that the pace feels right.

Practical benefits of online work include fitting sessions into a busy life and avoiding travel time. Online sessions can make it easier to keep regular check-ins during transitions or when balancing study and work. The biography confirms Shirley offers online therapy, but it does not list specific formats, so please confirm the current session options before booking. Registered or accredited professionals can deliver these approaches online and will help arrange sessions that suit a client’s routine.

Topics Shirley lists

• Stress and anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Family conflicts
• Trauma and abuse
• Coping with life changes
• Addictions
• LGBT
• Grief
• Intimacy-related issues
• Eating disorders
• Sleeping disorders
• Parenting issues
• Anger management
• Self-esteem
• Career difficulties
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Coaching
• Compassion fatigue
• ADHD
• Abandonment
• Aging and geriatric issues
• Antisocial personality
• Attachment issues
• Avoidant personality
• Blended family issues
• Body image
• Codependency
• Commitment issues
• Communication problems
• Control issues
• Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
• Dependent personality
• Dissociation
• Domestic violence
• Eating and food-related issues
• Emptiness
• Family problems
• Fertility issues
• Forgiveness
• Guilt and shame
• Immigration issues
• Impulsivity
• Infidelity
• Isolation and loneliness
• Jealousy
• Life purpose
• Midlife crisis
• Money and financial issues
• Multicultural concerns
• Narcissism
• Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Personality disorders
• Phobias
• Postpartum depression
• Post-traumatic stress
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Prejudice and discrimination
• Self-harm
• Self-love
• Sexual assault and abuse
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Women's issues
• Workplace issues
• Young adult issues

Ways of working

• Client-Centred Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Trauma-Focused Therapy

Questions about Shirley

Does she work with trauma and abuse?

Yes. She has significant experience supporting survivors of domestic violence and long-term relational abuse.

What kind of counselling does she offer?

Her work is primarily person-centred with transpersonal elements and trauma-informed practice, drawing on other methods as needed.

How much experience does she have?

She has 11 years of counselling experience and over 20 years working in further and higher education.

Is she registered with a professional body?

She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, listed as BACP.

Can I have sessions in other languages?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

The original biography states that she offers online therapy; please confirm current session options before booking.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I start with her?

Select the Talk to a counsellor online button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.