About Emma
Emma Louise Sharkey is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom who supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, and low self-esteem. She also helps with depression, addictions, grief and sleep problems, among other concerns. Emma works from the view that each person knows their own story and brings strengths to change hard situations.
She encourages people to recognise the courage it takes to seek help and to feel hopeful about taking the first step.
Background and approach
Emma uses straightforward, person-focused conversations to help clients make sense of what is happening for them. Sessions aim to be practical and paced to each person, with space to talk and also to try different ways of coping between meetings. She draws on Client-Centred Therapy to build a respectful, non-judgemental relationship that centres the client's goals.
When trauma or distressing memories are present, Emma may work with Trauma-Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing to reduce the hold of painful memories. Hypnotherapy is also part of her toolkit for people who are interested in accessing guided relaxation and imagery as part of change work.
Emma holds BACP accreditation, indicating registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She has three years of professional experience in therapeutic settings and offers sessions in English. International clients may be supported where practical.
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. She helps people set clear goals and chooses approaches that match each person's needs. Practical steps, short-term relief techniques and longer-term skills are balanced to suit the individual.
How Emma's approaches work online
Emma uses Client-Centred Therapy to create a respectful, listening space where the client's goals lead the work. This approach focuses on understanding the person's experience and helping them build on their own strengths, which can suit anxiety, low mood and relationship concerns.She also offers Trauma-Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing to address distressing memories and the impact of trauma. Trauma-Focused Therapy helps people process difficult events in a paced way, while EMDR uses guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation alongside memory processing to reduce the intensity of painful memories.
Choosing the right approach is a shared decision. The therapist will discuss options, listen to your preferences and test what feels most helpful. Some methods suit short-term goals, while others target deeper patterns, and adjustments are made as therapy progresses.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video calls let you use visual cues and fuller discussion, phone sessions work well if bandwidth is limited, live chat can be useful for brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between appointments. This range makes it easier to fit therapy around work, family and travel commitments.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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