Relationships feel strained in ways that are difficult to explain. There can be a sense of being slightly out of step with yourself, without fully understanding why.
For many people in and around Oxford, this is the point at which therapy begins to feel like something worth considering. Not because everything has fallen apart, but because something no longer feels as steady or manageable as it once did.
Sherene, an integrative counsellor and sex therapist at Hope Therapy, has spent over 15 years working with people at exactly this stage. Since qualifying in 2010, her work has spanned individual counselling, couples therapy, family work, bereavement support, and specialist sex therapy. That breadth of experience is significant, not simply because of the range of issues it covers, but because it reflects how real life tends to present itself. People rarely arrive with one clearly defined difficulty. More often, experiences overlap. Anxiety connects with relationships. Relationship strain links back to past experiences. Questions around intimacy sit alongside issues of confidence, identity, or emotional safety.
Sherene’s approach is grounded in humanistic integrative counselling, which in practice means that the work is shaped around the person rather than the other way around. There is no single model being applied regardless of context. Instead, the focus is on understanding what is happening for you, how it is being experienced, and what might genuinely help. Some people need space to talk and process. Others benefit from more structured ways of understanding their thoughts or behaviours. Many move between the two at different points. The flexibility of an integrative approach allows for that.
Her professional background supports this way of working. She is an accredited member of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society and holds an Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling from a BACP-accredited course, alongside further qualifications in relationship therapy, bereavement counselling, and pastoral care. However, what tends to matter most to clients is not the list of credentials, but the experience of being properly listened to. Therapy, at its core, is not about being assessed or judged. It is about being understood, often in ways that do not happen elsewhere.
In her individual counselling work, Sherene supports clients with a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and significant life transitions. These experiences are rarely isolated. Anxiety may be linked to uncertainty, past experiences, or relationship dynamics. Low mood can develop gradually, shaped by loss, pressure, or a sense of disconnection. Stress often reflects the cumulative weight of multiple demands rather than a single cause. Therapy provides a space to explore these experiences in a way that allows patterns to become clearer and responses to begin to shift.
One of Sherene’s specialist areas is sex therapy, which remains relatively underrepresented in private practice despite its importance. Sexual wellbeing is closely tied to emotional health, identity, and relational connection, yet many people find it difficult to talk about. Sherene works with both individuals and couples experiencing concerns such as low libido, sexual dysfunction, the impact of past experiences on intimacy, and questions around sexual identity. This work is approached with care, clarity, and a strong emphasis on creating a space where people feel safe enough to speak openly, often for the first time.
Her work with couples reflects a similar depth of understanding. Couples rarely seek therapy because of a single issue. More often, they find themselves caught in patterns that have developed over time. Communication becomes strained, misunderstandings increase, and emotional distance can grow gradually or following specific events such as breaches of trust. In couples counselling, Sherene’s role is not to take sides, but to help both partners understand what is happening between them. By bringing the underlying dynamics into focus, couples are better able to move beyond repeated conflict and begin responding to each other differently. She also offers pre-marital counselling, providing couples with the opportunity to explore expectations, communication styles, and relational patterns before difficulties become established.
Family counselling introduces another layer of complexity, as it involves not just individuals but the system they form together. Sherene works with families navigating challenges such as separation, blended family dynamics, parent-child conflict, and the impact of significant life changes. Rather than identifying one person as the source of difficulty, the focus is on understanding how patterns of interaction contribute to the overall experience of the family and what might help shift those patterns in a constructive way.
Bereavement work forms an important part of her practice. Grief does not follow a predictable path, nor is it something that can be resolved through straightforward solutions. Whether the loss relates to death, miscarriage, infertility, or major life transitions, it often brings emotional and existential questions that require time and space to process. Sherene’s training in pastoral care allows her to hold both the psychological and deeper reflective aspects of grief, supporting clients as they make sense of what has happened and how it continues to affect them.
Alongside her client work, Sherene provides clinical supervision to other therapists. Supervision is not simply about reviewing cases, but about creating a reflective space in which practitioners can explore their own responses, patterns, and professional development. Her experience across a wide range of client presentations allows her to support therapists at different stages of their careers, from those in training to those in established practice.
Sessions with Sherene are available face-to-face in Oxford and online or by telephone across the UK. She works with adults, couples, and families, and also accepts referrals through Employee Assistance Programmes and organisational arrangements. Sessions last 50 minutes and are held within a confidential framework, with clear boundaries explained at the outset. Fees are set at a level that remains accessible within the Oxford area, starting from £65 for individual sessions.
For those considering therapy, the idea of starting can feel uncertain. It is common to feel unsure about whether your experience is “serious enough” or whether therapy is the right step. In reality, most people begin with uncertainty. What matters is not having a fully formed explanation, but recognising that something feels difficult and that it may be worth exploring.
Hope Therapy offers a free 15-minute consultation, providing an opportunity to talk things through without pressure or commitment. This initial conversation can help you decide whether working with Sherene feels like the right fit and what kind of support might be most helpful.
You can book a consultation here:
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Or call 07379 538411 to speak with the team. Lines are open Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.