Heidi Shepherd Therapy
Online trauma-informed psychotherapist and EMDR therapist.
About me
Hello, I’m Heidi, a fully qualified and accredited therapist offering affordable online counselling and EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing).
As a therapist I'm approachable and down-to-earth, aiming to offer you a confidential, compassionate, open-minded and non-judgmental space for you to express and explore any current difficulties in your life. I am trauma-informed, and my counselling approach is integrative, mainly drawing on person-centred, psychodynamic concepts, though I also work creatively and intuitively within the moment.
My therapeutic approach utilises trauma-informed theories e.g. Polyvagal theory, Somatic theory. It takes into account the complex relationship between mind and body, and how traumatic and negative experiences are stored in both our brain and body.
Before I qualified as a therapist, I worked in the creative industries, TV, touring and live events. This has meant I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with people from a variety of cultural, religious and social backgrounds, and it has given me understanding and sensitivity to people’s diverse life experiences.
I've been working as a counsellor for more than 8 years, and as an EMDR therapist for over 3 years. I worked as a counsellor for Manchester Rape Crisis for 4 years, and have also worked with a charity that provides EMDR for first responders. I have a varied client base, providing therapeutic counselling to people identifying within the generation X, Millennial and Gen Z communities. I greatly value difference and am LGBTQ+ affirming.
I understand that life is complex and sometimes you might need some extra support, especially if you're feeling sad, fearful or overwhelmed just trying to get through another day. Perhaps you've been through a painful experience, or lost a sense of who you are, where you belong, or what you want in life.
Whether you decide to have counselling or EMDR therapy with me, we'll take a therapeutic journey that is unique to you. We’ll start from your ‘here and now’ feelings and experiences, and if it feels right for you, we can work together to explore connections to your past and to consider how those experiences might be impacting your present life. I am committed to supporting and encouraging you to gain new insight and understanding of yourself, with the intention of helping you recover from your adverse experiences, feel more empowered, make lasting changes and move forward more positively in your life.
How much does therapy cost?
The cost for each 50-minute online counselling session is £55.
The cost per 1-hour remote EMDR therapy session is £60
Payments can be made by bank transfer or Paypal. Complete payment details will be provided at the time of booking your initial free online 20 min consultation.
I currently have availability and am taking on new clients
What is Trauma-Informed therapy?
As a trauma-informed counsellor and EMDR therapist, I support clients to understand the impact of their traumatic or adverse experiences, and to develop ways to take control back and feel empowered to deal with the symptoms of trauma, e.g. anxiety, emotional overwhelm, burnout, dissociation, emotional numbness, anger outbursts, and self-harming.
Having therapy with me ensures you have a confidential place to talk about whatever is most important to you, where you can be properly heard and seen without being judged or told what to do. We might work well together if you have been through some difficult experiences that have left you asking questions like: "Why do I feel broken and scared?", "Why can't I ever relax?", "Why do I often shut down and disconnect?", "Why do I struggle so much in relationships?".
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It can be used for single event trauma e.g. road traffic accident, house fire or physical assault, or for more complex trauma such as childhood abuse, repeated violence and trauma associated with the armed forces and first responders. EMDR can also be applied to other issues, including depression, phobias and anxiety.
Some memories of a traumatic or adverse event can feel “stuck” so that they remain intense and distressing. You might re-experience what you saw, heard, smelt and felt whenever the memory comes to mind. EMDR aims to help the brain “unstick” and reprocess the memory so that it's no longer so intense or disturbing, and feels like a neutral memory of an event in the past.
EMDR has eight phases, which are:
1. History & Treatment Planning : We'll begin by exploring your background, discussing your current issues, and identifying your goals for therapy.
2. Preparation: Before processing difficult memories, we'll focus on helping you feel safe, supported, and emotionally prepared. You’ll learn grounding and calming techniques to help you manage emotions both during and between sessions.
3. Assessment: We'll identify a specific memory or issue to work on, along with the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations connected to it. This helps us understand how the experience is currently affecting you and impacting on your life.
4. Desensitisation: Using bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds), EMDR helps your brain reprocess distressing memories so they feel less overwhelming and less emotionally charged.
5. Installation: As distress decreases, we'll strengthen more adaptive and positive beliefs, such as “I am safe,” “I am a good person,” "I'm in control now" or “I can handle it.”
6. Body Scan: Trauma and stress are often held in the body. During this phase, we check for any remaining physical tension or discomfort linked to the memory and continue processing if needed.
7. Closure: Every session ends with techniques to help you feel grounded and emotionally settled before leaving therapy, regardless of whether processing is complete.
8. Reevaluation : At the start of each session, we review progress, assess how you’ve been feeling since the previous session, and decide on the next steps.
My qualifications & professional membership
Foundation Degree in Counselling (Open University)
Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
EMDR Standard Training (EMDR Masterclass)
BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (University Of Manchester)
Registered and accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
(BACP) (Membership no: 377024)
Member of the EMDR Association UK
Member of the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM)
As a qualified therapist and accredited member of the BACP, I fully subscribe and adhere to their Ethical Framework providing a high standard of professional care.
How do sessions work?
I offer an initial free 20-minute online consultation chat where we can discuss and explore some of your reasons for seeking therapy, what counselling or EMDR involves and how it may help. This initial chat is an opportunity for us to learn a little bit about each other before deciding whether we will work together.
ONLINE SESSIONS:
Your online counselling sessions will be held either weekly or fortnightly, by appointment. Once a session has been booked, I will email you a Zoom link.
For online EMDR sessions, I use Zoom and a platform called Bilateral Base (specifically designed for delivering EMDR therapy).
YOUR PRIVACY:
For successful online counselling and EMDR therapy, you will need a private, quiet room in which to talk with me without being interrupted or overheard.
I will conduct your online therapy session in a private, secure room, maintaining the same standards of privacy and confidentiality as I would in personal face-to-face therapy.
Therapy is a big commitment, and I appreciate the importance of finding the right therapist, someone you'll feel like you 'click' with and can build a strong and collaborative therapeutic relationship. Therefore, if you have a consultation with me, there is no pressure or obligation to end up working with me. I recommend you contact a few different therapists to discover who feels like the best fit for you.
Some CPD I have attended
Moving your practice online (Online Therapy Institute - April 2020)
Certificate working with complex trauma (Stage 1 Complex Trauma Therapists Network UK - Feb 2022)
Reality of Working with Sexual Violence (Greater Manchester Rape Crisis - Feb 2022)
How to help our clients stay regulated (Greater Manchester Rape Crisis - June 2022)
Deep Dive into Shame (Greater Manchester Rape Crisis - April 2023)
The Practical Integration of Flash Technique within the EMDR Standard Protocol (with Dr Justin Havens, 2024)
SPIM30 trauma workshop with Dr Ralph Vogt (May 2024)
Client testimonials
Working with Heidi has been incredibly helpful. When I started therapy, I felt completely overwhelmed and stuck in patterns I didn’t understand, struggling with panic attacks, emotional flashbacks, physical symptoms, and feeling disconnected from my own emotions. Through EMDR, Heidi helped me process deep-rooted childhood emotional trauma in a way that finally made sense. Our work together provided me with the tools to recognise and regulate my emotions and regain a sense of safety and control in my life. I now feel much more grounded, self-aware, and able to handle challenges without being completely consumed by them.
Heidi is warm, patient, and adaptive. She creates a space that feels safe and supportive, which made it possible for me to be honest with both her and myself in order to do the healing work I needed.
Emily
