Female Counsellor in Cardiff: Counselling for Women

A Space That's Just for You

Many women spend their days looking after everyone else: children, partners, parents, colleagues, communities. Perhaps some of this sounds familiar:

• You're the one everyone turns to, but there's no one you can turn to
• You feel stretched between roles, and lost somewhere in the middle
• Your body or hormones are changing, and so is how you feel
• There are things you'd find hard to say in front of a man
• You feel judged for how you parent, work, dress or live
• You can't remember the last time you did something just for you

Counselling is an hour that belongs to you, with someone who won't judge, rush or need anything from you.

Why Some Women Prefer a Female Counsellor

The relationship with your counsellor is at the heart of the work, so it matters that you feel comfortable. Many women find it easier to open up to another woman, especially when talking about their bodies, relationships, sexuality, pregnancy or loss, or experiences involving men.

For some women, seeing a female counsellor is also important for cultural or faith reasons, or simply makes it possible to take the first step at all. Whatever your reason, it's valid, and you don't need to explain it.

I have particular experience supporting women from minority ethnic and faith communities. Read more about culturally and faith-sensitive counselling.

Menopause and Emotional Wellbeing

Perimenopause and menopause can bring changes that go far beyond hot flushes: anxiety that seems to come from nowhere, low mood, irritability, brain fog, poor sleep, and a loss of confidence that can feel like losing yourself.

This stage often arrives alongside other changes too, such as children growing up, ageing parents, or shifts in work and relationships. Counselling offers a space to talk about how it all feels, to make sense of who you are now, and to be kinder to yourself through it.

For physical symptoms and treatment options, including HRT, please speak to your GP. Counselling works alongside medical care, not instead of it.

After Having a Baby: Postnatal Depression and Emotional Wellbeing

Becoming a mother is often expected to feel joyful, so it can be frightening and lonely when it doesn't. You might feel low, anxious, overwhelmed, numb, or disconnected from your baby, or have upsetting thoughts you're scared to tell anyone about.

These feelings are more common than many people realise, and they don't make you a bad mother. Counselling can offer a gentle, non-judgemental space to talk about the reality of motherhood, including what hasn't gone the way you hoped, such as a difficult birth.

If you think you might have postnatal depression, please tell your GP, midwife or health visitor. They can assess you and refer you to specialist perinatal mental health support if needed. Counselling can be part of your support alongside them.

Carrying Many Roles

Mother, daughter, partner, carer, professional, friend: women are often expected to hold all of these at once, and do them well. Over time, there can be very little room left for you.

Counselling can help you notice what you need, set boundaries without guilt, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that have been put on hold.

Women's Wellbeing Group

Alongside one-to-one counselling, I facilitate a monthly Women's Wellbeing Group in Cardiff, run in collaboration with the local community. It's a warm space for women to connect, share and support one another. Some women find the group is what they need; others come to both.

What Women Often Bring to Counselling

If you've experienced the loss of a pregnancy or baby, you may also find my page on grief and bereavement counselling helpful.

How Person-Centred Counselling Can Help

I work in a person-centred way. I won't tell you how to live or what kind of woman to be. Instead, I offer a warm, accepting relationship where you can speak freely about anything, at your own pace.

In that space, women often begin to:

• put their own needs back on the list
• let go of guilt about not being "enough"
• make sense of changes in their bodies, roles and relationships
• reconnect with their own voice

Counselling isn't a quick fix, and I can't promise outcomes, but many women find that having a space of their own makes a real difference.

Working With Me

I'm Asma Shariff, a female BACP-registered counsellor. I've worked with clients aged 17 to 70, from diverse cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds, and I facilitate a women's group in collaboration with the local community. Alongside private practice, I counsel at CCAWS, a Cardiff mental health charity.

I work within the BACP Ethical Framework, attend regular clinical supervision, and hold professional indemnity insurance. More about me.

Your First Session

Book an initial consultation →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I choose to see a female counsellor?

Yes. I'm a female counsellor, and all sessions are one-to-one with me. Many women find it easier to talk openly about their bodies, relationships, faith or family with another woman.

Can counselling help with menopause?

Counselling can support the emotional side of perimenopause and menopause, such as mood changes, anxiety, loss of confidence, and feelings about this stage of life. It works alongside medical care. For physical symptoms or treatment options, including HRT, please speak to your GP.

Can I have counselling for postnatal depression?

Counselling can offer support with how you're feeling after having a baby. Please also tell your GP, midwife or health visitor how you're feeling, as they can assess you and refer you to specialist perinatal mental health support if needed.

Can I have sessions online if I have a young baby?

Yes. Online sessions can be easier when you have a young baby at home. You can also choose face-to-face sessions in Whitchurch, Cardiff.

What's the difference between one-to-one counselling and the women's group?

One-to-one counselling is private, focused entirely on you. The Women's Wellbeing Group is a monthly space to connect with and support other women. Some women find one helpful, some both.

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