Shirley Brocklehurst MA
Shirley is a Dance Movement Psychotherapist who also practices and teaches Tai Chi & Qi Gong. She offers gentle, supportive therapy for adults who feel weighed down by low mood, self-doubt, or the pressure to put others first. Many of the people she works with describe struggling to speak up, set boundaries, or feel truly seen in their relationships. Shirley understands how exhausting this can be, and wants you to know you don’t have to carry it alone.
Her approach is warm and collaborative. She doesn’t have ready-made answers — instead, she’ll be alongside you as you gently explore your feelings and experiences together. She pays close attention to how emotions are held in both mind and body, because the patterns that keep us stuck live as much in our bodies as in our thoughts. By noticing and working with this connection, you may begin to feel freer, more grounded, and more able to choose what feels right for you.
Shirley works somatically, which means accessing and enhancing the connection between mind and body. It is an aspect that’s often overlooked in talking therapy, however the body holds meaningful insights into our story and helps us to re-frame the way we look at things.
Her sessions will allow you to move, if you wish, and to go with the flow of what you are feeling and experiencing. In today’s world we are encouraged to be mindful. Often this is associated with remaining quiet. Shirley will encourage mindfulness, but not necessarily stillness. In other words, she will encourage you to notice body issues and to process them. In this way you can address many concepts.
Clients often tell Shirley that therapy helps them gain confidence, set healthier boundaries, and see themselves with more kindness. She holds space for whatever you bring — whether it’s sadness, anger, guilt, or uncertainty — and together you can begin to make sense of it in a way that feels safe and manageable.