You may have spent years holding everything together.
Yet inside, something still doesn't feel right.
From the outside, you may seem capable, thoughtful, and resilient.
You might be the person others turn to for support.
The one who keeps going, even when life feels difficult.
The one who has learned to manage, adapt, and cope.
But underneath, things may feel very different.
You may find yourself feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or disconnected from your own needs.
Perhaps you struggle to trust yourself.
Perhaps you second-guess your decisions or find yourself constantly worrying about how others see you.
You may feel responsible for other people's feelings while finding it difficult to recognize or express your own.
Even when you're doing everything "right," there can still be a quiet sense that something is missing.
These experiences often have deeper roots.
Many of the people I work with grew up learning to put other people's needs first.
You may have learned to stay strong, stay quiet, or stay helpful to feel safe, accepted, or connected.
You may have experienced childhood emotional neglect, developmental trauma, difficult family relationships, or environments where your emotional needs were not consistently understood or supported.
As adults, these experiences can continue to shape how we relate to ourselves and others.
They can show up as:
- anxiety and emotional overwhelm
- people-pleasing and over-functioning
- difficulty setting boundaries
- low self-worth or persistent self-doubt
- feeling disconnected from your emotions
- shame, guilt, or feeling "not enough."
- repeating painful relationship patterns
- struggling to trust yourself or others
- feeling emotionally shut down, numb, or exhausted
I'm Sharon, and this is the work I do every day.
I’m Sharon, a BACP‑registered and NCPS‑accredited Integrative Counsellor, Parts Work Practitioner, Couples Counsellor, and Supervisor based in Central Bristol and online.
My work is rooted in attachment-focused and trauma-informed practice, with a particular interest in how early relational experiences shape the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the world. Many of the people I work with learned early on to be capable, responsible, and attuned to others, often at the expense of their own needs or emotional life.
Over time, this can lead to anxiety, self-doubt, people-pleasing, or a sense of disconnection from oneself. Therapy offers a space to gently understand these patterns and begin to reconnect with parts of yourself that may have been pushed aside. Alongside my private practice, I have worked within domestic abuse and sexual violence services, bereavement support, and rehabilitation settings.
These experiences have deepened my commitment to offering a space that is steady, respectful, and attuned to the complexities of trauma and long-term emotional recovery. I am neurodivergent, LGBTQ+ affirming, and committed to creating a therapeutic relationship where you feel seen, respected, and met without judgement.
Outside of work, I stay grounded through time in nature, creative expression, and somatic practices that support regulation and balance. These are the places where I reconnect with myself, and they inform the calm, steady presence I bring to my work.
Working together
I work in a warm, collaborative, and thoughtful way.
I won't tell you what to do, but I won't sit silently either.
I am actively engaged in the process and will offer reflections, questions, psychoeducation, and gentle challenges where they feel helpful.
Therapy offers a space to slow down and explore what is happening beneath the surface.
We look at how your past experiences may still be shaping your present relationships, emotional responses, beliefs about yourself, and nervous system patterns.
My approach integrates talking therapy with attachment-focused work, somatic awareness, Parts Work, and Polyvagal-informed practice.
Our work moves at a pace that feels manageable and safe for you.
Over time, many people notice that things begin to feel different.
They feel less driven by anxiety, shame, or self-criticism.
They become more connected to their emotions, needs, and boundaries.
They begin to understand themselves with greater compassion and develop healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.
The goal isn't to become someone different.
It's about reconnecting with parts of yourself that may have been overlooked, silenced, or lost along the way.
Professional Training & Qualifications
Core Qualifications
- Level 7 Attachment-Focused Psychotherapeutic Couples Counselling and Supervision
- Foundation Degree in Integrative Counselling – Plymouth University
- Experiential Psychodynamic Course – Bedfordshire Centre of Therapeutic Studies
- Level 5 Somatic Trauma-Informed Therapy – CPCAB
- Advanced Certificate in Understanding and Applying Parts Theories – Temenos Education Ltd
Trauma, Attachment & Somatic Training
- Complex Trauma Certification Training – PESI UK
- Somatic Therapy for Complex Trauma – PESI UK
- Somatic Trauma Theory and Skills – Temenos Education Ltd
- Holistic Trauma-Informed Practice (Specialism Level 7) – The Weekend University
- Polyvagal Theory, Skills and Application – Temenos Education Ltd
- Somatic Yoga Incorporating Polyvagal Theory – N Science
Parts Work & Internal Systems
- Transitioning to Internal Family Systems – Natasha Wilson
- A Day on Parts – The Weekend University
- Binge Eating: Food Freedom Through Parts Work – Celia Clark
Neurodiversity Training
- Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism – Bridgwater and Taunton College
- Neurodiversity and Trauma – Trauma Geek
- A Day on Neurodiversity – The Weekend University
Domestic Abuse, Narcissistic Abuse & Sexual Violence
- Treating Survivors of Coercive Control in Narcissistic Abuse – PESI UK
- Working with Narcissism: Trauma, Abuse and Neglect – PESI UK
- Narcissistic Abuse In-Depth Workshop with Dr. Ramani – PESI AU
- Intimate Partner Violence: Trauma-Informed Interventions for Survivors – PESI Inc.
- Understanding Domestic Abuse – The Diversity Trust
- Understanding Domestic Abuse – IDAS
- Understanding Sexual Violence – IDAS
- Tier 3 Sexual Violence Training Programme – Axis Pathfinder
Additional Professional Development
- Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion – The Diversity Trust
- Women's Equalities Training – Womankind and Missing Link
- Living and Working Online Series – City of Bristol College with Diamond Leaf Training
- A Day on Addictions – The Weekend University
If you're thinking about starting therapy
You don't need to be in crisis to come to therapy.
You don't need to have all the answers or know exactly where to begin.
If something in you is curious about the possibility of change, we can start with an initial conversation and see whether working together feels right for you.
Sessions are available in Central Bristol and online across the UK.
The people I work with
Many of the people I work with are capable, thoughtful, and emotionally aware often the ones others rely on.
On the surface, life can look managed.
But internally, there is often something different happening:
a sense of emotional overwhelm, disconnection, anxiety, or a quiet feeling of not quite being at ease in themselves or in relationships.
Often, there is a long history of adapting to others — learning to stay attuned, to avoid conflict, to keep things steady, or to hold emotional responsibility in early relationships.
Over time, this can create patterns like:
people-pleasing, overthinking, self-doubt, emotional shutdown, or difficulty trusting your own needs and instincts.
How I understand these patterns
I don’t see these ways of coping as “symptoms to remove”.
I see them as adaptations — ways you learned to stay safe, connected, or emotionally regulated in environments that may not have consistently met your needs.
In therapy, we take time to understand these patterns rather than fight against them.
We slow things down enough to notice:
- what your emotional system learned early on
- how those patterns still show up in present-day relationships
- what your nervous system is communicating through anxiety, shutdown, or overwhelm
- what parts of you are trying to protect you
This creates space for something different, not by forcing change, but by understanding what has been happening underneath it.
Therapy is not about becoming a different person, it is about coming into a more compassionate relationship with yourself.
My Approach
My approach is integrative, which means I draw from a range of therapeutic models to support each person in a way that feels meaningful for them.
This includes humanistic therapy, psychodynamic thinking, somatic trauma work, Polyvagal-informed practice, and Parts Work (influenced by Internal Family Systems, Voice Dialogue, and Structural Dissociation models).
At the heart of my work is a focus on safety, curiosity, and understanding what lies beneath the surface of how we live and relate.
What I Often Work With
I have a particular interest in supporting people who are navigating:
- developmental trauma and childhood emotional neglect
- narcissistic or emotionally difficult family dynamics
- complex grief and long-term emotional loss
- chronic illness and the emotional impact of physical health conditions
- addictive or coping behaviours that feel hard to change
- anxiety, depression, and emotional overwhelm
My Experience & Background
Alongside my private practice, I work with Pegasus Men’s Wellbeing Charity, supporting individuals within their Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence services.
I also support clients following inpatient care through the Steps Together Rehabilitation scheme, and I offer affiliate counselling with a Bereavement Charity.
This work has given me extensive experience supporting people through crisis, transition, and long-term emotional recovery.
© Sharon Newland Counselling and Psychotherapy
Developmental Trauma Psychotherapy in Central Bristol and Online
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