'About me'
Hey there, I am Shelley, thank you for visiting my site, I guess you are here because you are hoping I can help, read on to see what expertise I can offer you....
FORTITUDE was born through a personal journey of adversity during which an opportunity to pursue my values was discovered. In times of hardship we tend to focus our attention on a problem but with the right help we can learn to cope, develop resilience and often personal growth can occur.
As a vastly experienced and highly trained mental health professional with multiple professional registrations, clinical training and leadership qualifications I have created FORTITUDE, based on my vision of what psychological therapy and wellbeing support ‘should’ look like.
I strive to provide people and teams with a chance to nurture their inherent resilience and strength, teaching them a philosophy of wellbeing, developing their own tools and skills that will enable them to become stronger through hardship. This will allow them to maintain psychological wellness and thrive in life.
I am straight talking and collaborative, my approach is down to earth and honest, I will work with you to identify areas to work on and changes you want to make in an accessible and approachable way.
'My qualifications'
I am a registered Mental Health nurse with the NMC, after completing a Diploma in mental health nursing in 2006. I have trained to Masters of Science (MSc) level in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) at the University of Oxford, first completing a PGDip in CBT then a research MSc in CBT. I am accredited with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, the nationally recognised body for overseeing CBT practice.
I have trained and am an accredited practitioner with Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Association UK, and currently an EMDR consultant in training.
I have extensive experience and training in delivering CBT based approached such as CPT, CFT, ACT and mindfulness.
My training and knowledge spans an 18 year career in mental healthcare and I have successfully helped and treated thousands of individuals. Further to this I have coached, mentored and supervised countless colleagues and trainees helping them achieve their goals and broaden their skills.
I have alot of additional training in working with trauma and traumatic experiences, helping people to successfully recover from exposure to difficult events.
'My experience'
I have been working in mental health since 2003 in the NHS, private sector and Ministry of Defence, my experience is wide and varied. I have worked with many different types of client groups of varying ages. During this experience I have developed a vast array of skills and I want to use my skills to help you by offering expert therapy. I work with patients with problems such as Depression, Anxiety disorders, PTSD and other mental health conditions. Get in touch to see if I have the relevant experience for you.
I have worked in female only settings, and also male dominated environments such as the prison service and military. I have the experience to adapt my therapy to suit you, regardless of age, gender or circumstances.
Some of my experience of working with trauma has been gained in military service, delivering mental healthcare on the frontline, I have first hand experience of military life as both a deployed service person and as a military spouse. I hold a full NSV security clearance and a DBS clearance. If you are serving in the military, a veteran or part of the forces family you might wish to take a look at my dedicated Armed Forces Family page, linked below.
'My professional accreditations'
It is really important to make sure the therapist you are seeing is properly qualified and registered with regulating professional bodies, this will help ensure that the care you pay for is the right type of treatment and an approach that is effective. Taking the step to seeking therapy is a difficult one and its important that you can be sure your therapist is appropriately qualified. Copies of my qualifications can be provided on request. You can also check my credentials with the BABCP, NMC and EMDR UK by searching their online registers using my name. Links are provided on the icons below.
'My commitment to you'
I believe passionately in helping people to heal from adversity, I believe everyone has the innate resilience to overcome difficulties and challenges life causes, provided they have access to the right person and the skills to support them with it.
