Dr. Stephanie Schirn

DCouncPsych, MSc
Counselling Psychologist

Dr. Stephanie Schirn holds a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and a Masters in Psychology in Education.

Throughout her doctoral training, Dr. Schirn worked in a variety of clinical and educational locations, including the National Health System (NHS),  mental health charities and within the UK state school system. These varied roles allowed Dr. Schirn to work with both adults and children in the treatment of psychological difficulties related to attachment disorders, trauma, mental illness and brain injury.

Dr. Schirn’s interests involve working with people of all ages using a person-centred approach aimed at supporting clients to see their value and achieve their fullest potential. She is a humanistic therapist who believes in building strong, therapeutic relationships with those she supports and believes in putting the client at the center of care.

In her clinical work Dr. Schirn draws on skills and approaches from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy. Her integrative approach is firmly embedded in a person-centred, trauma informed approach, which encourages compassion to reduce the critical voice, bring healing and meet self-actualization.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Schirn worked with vulnerable youth at risk for sexual grooming and exploitation, and has a strong clinical foundation in trauma informed and culturally attuned care. She is a qualified primary school teacher, who earned a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), and she taught in the public UK education system for many years. Dr. Schirn brings to her clinical work a firm understanding of the principles of learning and deep knowledge of child and adolescent development which allows her to effectively integrate psychological interventions with learning and development goals. Her experience as an educator also allows her to take evidence-based therapeutic approaches and adapt them to suit each young person’s needs regardless of age or academic attainment, and she understands how important it is for psychology to work closely alongside parents, schools, and allied health/care professionals for best treatment outcomes.

Dr. Schirn has a special interest in working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, and utilizes a creative and playful approach to help children and adolescents heal and thrive by exploring emotions and behaviours often associated with trauma, and she follows the PACE model of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy as a foundation of her relationship based therapeutic work.

She is excited to join The Wellness Centre where she will work alongside her clinical colleagues to provide psychological interventions to children, teens and adults experiencing a range of psychological difficulties and mental health problems.