About Mary
Mary Shiels is a counsellor who uses practical, person-focused ways of working. She draws on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy to help people manage stress, anxiety and mood difficulties. Mary holds BACP and has three years of experience supporting people through grief, trauma and related concerns.
She welcomes people who identify as LGBT and aims to create an open, non-judgemental space for talking through difficult issues.
Background and approach
Mary takes a straightforward approach in sessions. She helps people notice what matters to them and to build small changes that fit daily life. Her work often focuses on anxiety, panic, trauma and low mood, and on practical ways to cope with overwhelming feelings.
She also addresses attachment difficulties and body image concerns, using techniques that encourage clearer thinking and steadier emotions. Clients may explore relationship patterns, communication problems, guilt and shame, or difficulties around separation and divorce. Mary also supports people facing isolation, caregiver stress, or a search for life purpose.
She uses client-centred listening alongside skills-based methods to make sessions useful and understandable. Her background includes work with sexual trauma, bereavement and post-traumatic stress. Mary describes experience supporting people affected by domestic abuse, coercive control and complex grief.
She also offers understanding to those who identify as gender, sex or relationship diverse and to sex workers seeking support. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and then arrange sessions according to availability. Fees vary by location and sessions run on a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
What Mary works with
Everything Mary lists, in their own terms. LGBT is the reason Mary is listed here; the rest shows what else Mary works with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
Approaches Mary lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How Mary’s approaches translate to online work
Mary often uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas in her practice. ACT helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values, which can reduce avoidance and increase meaningful activity. Attachment-Based work looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections and helps people build safer ways of relating.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Mary will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then decide together which methods to try. That collaboration makes it easier to adapt techniques to someone’s everyday life and priorities.
If you are considering online counselling, confirm the session formats when you book. Online options can make regular sessions easier to fit into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. They can also help when quieter surroundings or being off camera are important to someone’s comfort. Registered or accredited professionals, including counsellors and therapists, often use these benefits to help people stick with their work and apply new skills between sessions.
Questions people ask about Mary
What concerns does Mary commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and mood difficulties, and supports people through grief and loss.
What is Mary’s therapeutic style?
Her sessions combine client-centred listening with skills-based methods like CBT, ACT and DBT to help people manage feelings and change habits.
How much experience does she have?
Mary has three years of experience working with a range of issues including post-traumatic stress and panic disorder.
What credential does Mary hold and where is she based?
She is listed with BACP and practices in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the UK work with her?
International clients are accepted; check scheduling and time differences when arranging sessions.
How do fees and payment work?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions operate via a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability.
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