Emma Louise Sharkey, BACP

Emma Louise Sharkey is a counsellor working in the United Kingdom who supports people with stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem and depression. She has three years of professional experience and holds BACP registration. She speaks English and is available to work with international clients. Emma views each person as the expert in their own story. In sessions she helps people identify strengths and small steps they can take to feel steadier. She focuses on practical, everyday changes in thinking and habits that make a difference between appointments. Her approach draws on client-centred principles, where conversations follow the person's concerns and pace. She also uses trauma-focused work and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing when appropriate, alongside hypnotherapy tools to support change. These methods aim to reduce distress and improve coping rather than promising specific outcomes. Emma has supported people with a wide range of concerns including addictions, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, parenting strain, anger, career stress, bipolar challenges and ADHD. Additional areas she has helped with include abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, body image, codependency and communication difficulties. If you are nervous about starting, she acknowledges that first steps take courage and offers a straightforward way to begin. The emphasis is on steady progress, small practical goals and helping people feel more able to manage life changes and everyday habits.

How therapeutic approaches work online

Client-centred work focuses on following the person's priorities and building from their strengths. In practice this means sessions where the counsellor listens closely, asks useful questions and helps people try small changes to thoughts and everyday habits that support coping.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, often called EMDR, is a method used to reduce the intensity of distress linked to difficult memories. It typically involves guided attention and structured processing to help people feel less overwhelmed by past events. Trauma-focused therapy concentrates on addressing the effects of trauma, teaching coping skills and helping people rebuild a sense of safety and routine after distressing experiences.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs and preferences, and will adapt the plan as work progresses.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions more easily into a busy week, reducing travel time and allowing people to attend from a familiar environment. Please confirm the current session options with the service before booking so you know how appointments are scheduled. Registered or accredited professionals offer online work that aims to support continuity of care and make therapy easier to access.