Shireen Maclennan - Profile

Thanks for looking at my profile and a very warm welcome.

As a therapist, I am particularly interested in anxiety and stress. I have been trained to work with people who feel distressed by events in their life that are resultant from our relational perspectives. We are given no choices about the families we are born into. That is not to say that we live with bad people but more that our values and beliefs can differ from theirs and this can cause us to feel confused and angry. As a result, we engage in patterns of behaviour that present as negative during social interactions. Having such experiences with other people leads to persisting difficulties in our lives that affect both our work as well as our home life and most importantly a negative view of ourselves.

My training helps you untangle those feelings and clarify your perceptions, allowing you to prioritise; to connect or even re-connect with the things that really matter to you. This new knowledge about yourself leads to a more free you, allowing you to choose your response to life instead of having to react to incoming issues and situations.

Trust and Empowerment

My only aim in therapy is to ensure my client is comfortable and safe . I have worked with people who have had previous negative experiences in therapy and I work to validate your experiences. Feeling safe, will allow you to talk freely and discuss anything and everything without fear of judgement.  At the end of therapy, you may change things in your life that no longer suit you or you may feel that understanding a different perspective has enabled you to embrace your life. Whatever the outcome, you will feel more in tune with yourself, freeing you to choose your next steps.

How I work

There are many different disciplines within Psychotherapy. I am an Integrated Existentialist Psychotherapist. This means that I have a broad experience in different disciplines but focus our relationship within the existentialist philosophy and outcomes.

Existentialists believe that, as people, we have the right and the opportunity to be comfortable in the world. Comfortable with ourselves, with our intentions and our ability to be whom we wish. It is about finding your way of being rather than just fixing problems. You do not have to worry about understanding exactly how I work rather my advice is that if you feel that I am not listening and responding to you then I am not offering good therapy.

My time with you will see us working together to allow you to become the person you chose to become. We agree and set goals and we challenge those goals as appropriate, as we grow and develop over time.

I have worked for Phoenix counselling which brings people from different walks of life into the therapy room. This broad experience has given me the ability to relate to people in many different ways and this has taught me my craft.

I have also worked at the Kingston Women’s Centre where I developed any understanding of women’s lives and how they are impacted by their place in the world . The deep wounds some of us carry, for example: Body issues linked to love and intimacy, motherhood, menopause and divorce. They challenge us and require attention and reflection which I can help with.

Before therapy, I have previously worked in a highly pressurised sales environment with political parties. I know what work stress is and how burn out occurs and how it affects self-esteem.