Shubina Akhtar

I am currently welcoming new clients, with daytime and evening appointments available Monday to Friday.

I offer face-to-face counselling in Peterborough city centre and online sessions across the UK. Sessions last 50 minutes and are available in English, Urdu or Punjabi.

Please contact me with your preferred days and times, and whether you would like face-to-face or online counselling. If you are enquiring for a young person, please include their age.

A short message is enough to begin. You do not need to explain everything in your first enquiry. I will let you know the appointment options and explain what happens next. Please include a safe and convenient way to contact you.

Do you find yourself replaying conversations, questioning your judgement or feeling guilty when you say no? You may seem to be managing, while privately feeling anxious, exhausted or disconnected from yourself.

I’m Shubina Akhtar, founder of Brightway Counselling, an NCPS-accredited integrative psychotherapist and a BACP member. I offer a warm, thoughtful space where you can speak openly and begin to understand what has been weighing on you.

My particular focus is supporting women affected by emotional abuse, coercive control, difficult relationships and family or cultural pressures. Perhaps a relationship has ended, but you still hear its criticism in the way you speak to yourself. Or keeping everyone else happy has left little room for your own needs.

You do not need to label your experience or know what you want to do next before coming to counselling. We can explore what is happening without pressure to make decisions before you feel ready.

Together, we can work towards easing anxiety, understanding recurring patterns, strengthening boundaries and rebuilding confidence in your choices. I also support people experiencing grief, burnout, low self-esteem and significant life changes. Adults of all genders and backgrounds are welcome.

I understand that family, faith and culture can bring both connection and difficult expectations. You can explore these experiences, including honour-based abuse, without assumptions about your beliefs or how you should live. I offer counselling in English, Urdu and Punjabi.

My background includes counselling and support roles with Cruse Bereavement Support, HELP and Women’s Aid. I also work with young people aged 11 and over, adapting counselling to their age and individual needs.

Counselling with me is a collaborative process. I listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions and help you explore both what you are experiencing and what you would like to change.

My integrative approach brings together person-centred, psychodynamic and CBT-informed ways of working. This means we can make space for your feelings, explore how earlier experiences affect you now, and develop practical ways to manage current difficulties.

We might look at why disagreement feels threatening, what keeps an anxious thought going, or why you feel responsible for other people’s emotions. Where helpful, we may use reflection, journalling or practical exercises between sessions. We will agree what feels useful and review your progress together.

My approach is trauma-informed, with attention to your safety, choice and pace. You will not be expected to describe painful experiences before you feel ready.

For young people aged 11 and over, I offer support with anxiety, low confidence, bereavement, friendship difficulties, family pressures and change. Parents and carers can make the initial enquiry. We will discuss their involvement and the boundaries of confidentiality while keeping the young person’s needs and voice central.

Sessions cost £75 and last 50 minutes, usually weekly. I offer face-to-face counselling in Peterborough city centre and online sessions across the UK. Under-13s are seen face-to-face; online counselling for teenagers is considered individually. Walk-and-talk sessions in Peterborough may be available where appropriate.

Shorter-term and longer-term work are available, depending on your needs.

To begin, send a brief enquiry using this profile’s contact button. I use the information you share to respond and discuss suitable support. My privacy notice explains how I handle your personal information and is available on request.

The first session gives you time to talk about what has brought you to counselling and get a feel for working with me. You do not need to prepare a life history, find the perfect words or share everything at once.

I will ask about what is difficult at the moment, how it is affecting your life, the support you have and what you would like counselling to help with. We can also explore any worries you have about starting therapy.

I will explain confidentiality and its limits, how I handle your information, and the practical arrangements, including fees and cancellations. There will be time for your questions.

Together, we will consider whether my approach is suitable for you and agree where to begin. You can take time to decide whether you would like to continue.

Your first session lasts 50 minutes and costs £75, the same as subsequent appointments.

For young people, we will agree the initial arrangements with the young person and their parent or carer as appropriate. I will explain privacy and information-sharing in clear, age-appropriate language.