Lucy Sheils

Therapist Directory Listing Category: Psychotherapists and Counsellors

About the Therapist

About the therapist:

My goal is to provide a safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental space where you can openly explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Together, we’ll work collaboratively to better understand what you’re going through and find ways forward that feel right for you.

As a gay psychotherapist, I bring both lived experience and professional expertise to our work. I understand how challenging it can be to explore sexuality, gender, identity, or feelings of difference in a world that is not always accepting. These experiences can lead to shame, isolation, anxiety, depression, and difficulties in relationships or self-esteem.

In therapy, I aim to help you feel truly seen and heard. Whether you’re navigating coming out, struggling with shame, building healthier relationships, or exploring your identity, I will meet you where you are—with empathy, curiosity, and care. My role is to walk alongside you as you make sense of difficult emotions, strengthen self-confidence, and move toward a life that feels authentic and aligned with your values.

I deeply value diversity and individuality, and I strive to create an open, inclusive, and affirming space where you don’t have to navigate things alone.

Sexual identity:

Other

Gender identity: I use another term

Gender history: Prefer not to say

Intersex: No

Neurodivergent: No

Qualifications - Links to websites:

I hold an MSc in CBT and a Postgraduate qualification in Counselling from Goldsmiths University, with over 10 years of experience in the field. As a registered member of both the BABCP and BACP, I adhere to their code of ethics. Committed to providing the highest standard of care, I engage in ongoing supervision and continuous professional development to ensure my practice remains effective, ethical, and up to date.BABCP membership- 00001001801BACP membership- 401107

Qualifications - Additional:

Award	Awarding body	Year of award

Experience and approach:

Relationships

You might find that the same issues or patterns keep emerging in you relationships, regardless of the person involved. This could include feelings of dissatisfaction, lack of communication, or old dynamics from childhood. Or perhaps you’re facing difficulties in meeting people or forming connections?The patterns can be frustrating, leading to a feeling of being “stuck,” but they can also be opportunities for growth and self-reflection. Recurring issues often signal underlying needs, beliefs, or fears that haven’t been fully addressed.

Stress and anxiety

Societal pressures in our day-to-day lives can lead to anxiety and stress. In professional settings, it could present as imposter syndrome or burn-out. In your private life, it might show up as low self-esteem or perfectionism.Anxiety doesn’t always look the same for everyone. It can manifest in ways that might feel confusing, overwhelming, or even unrelated to emotional distress. Understanding how anxiety manifests can be the first step toward finding relief.

Making sense of our past

There are times when, as adults, we are held back by the things we experienced in our formative years and we rely on learnt behaviours and coping mechanisms to manage our emotions. You may have forgotten or chosen to block out unhappy memories from the past but the experiences, and your childhood learnt responses, might still be playing a part in your emotional reactions and behaviour as an adult.This could include feelings of low self-esteem, shame or lack of confidence, or the need to ‘please’ others and put their needs ahead of ours.Sometimes we don’t make the connections between our current behaviour and how we learnt to respond to things in our childhood. Together we can explore what is going on for you and find more positive ways of responding to the challenges as your adult self.

Approaches: