An Exclusive Interview with The Soulshine Therapist (originally published at The Soulshine Therapist – Exclusive Interview With Sian McKenzie (brainzmagazine.com)
Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you help your clients?
Hi, I’m Sian, founder of The Soulshine Therapist. I’m a counsellor, spiritual coach, and holistic therapist. I help spiritual people move from the energy of surviving to the energy of thriving! I am passionate about offering a spiritually inclusive space for people who are ready to invest in their personal growth and their journey of self-discovery.
By combining different healing methods, I consciously create a space that attends to the client’s humanity and spirituality. My approach is compassionate, intuitive, and heart-led. I meet clients wherever they are on their journey, recognising their idiosyncrasies and their divine wholeness.
My approach helps clients to feel more connected to their authenticity, their life, and the Universe. Moving from feeling lost, overwhelmed, disconnected, and stuck to experiencing more happiness, inner harmony, inner peace and feelings of personal empowerment!
Could you share a bit about your journey so far? What inspired you to start "The Soulshine Therapist”?
Sure. That's a great question. I guess there have been so many aspects of my journey that have helped inspire how I work today. As I sit and reflect on that, there are definitely a few points in life that spring to mind.
The time of my spiritual awakening (2014) was, I guess, the beginning of where I am today. During what some people may call a ‘dark night of the soul’- I read the book The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo and it stirred something within me. I chose to listen to that stirring. I allowed it to guide me. This resulted in me solo travelling around the world, and from there, a chain reaction of events unfolded, all of which have led me to where I am today.
A decade has passed since then, and I am still a student of the spiritual and the human experience. I know I will walk this path for the rest of my life. A student through knowledge (the books I read, the training I do etc), but also through experience. My journey has been about embodying the teachings and wisdom. It’s been about healing, undoing the conditioning, and stepping into who I came here to be.
I wouldn’t be being honest if I didn’t acknowledge that the COVID-19 lockdowns were a significant chapter of my journey. As for many others, lockdown was a real moment for me to slow down, take a breath and eventually, gain perspective of my life. At the time I was furloughed from my busy, high-pressured job in the hospitality industry. For the first time in my adult life, I had the opportunity to be truly present and truthful with myself.
Stopping completely allowed me to see that my mind, body, and spirit were out of alignment. I knew that once the pandemic was over, life needed to change. By reconnecting to the sacred part of me, I knew I wanted to live life more authentically, with more purpose, and in a more meaningful way.
This spurred me to gain new qualifications and make some major life decisions to welcome the way for The Soulshine Therapist.
Lastly, The Soulshine Therapist was borne out of my desire to offer clients the option to approach their healing from a holistic standpoint, where mind, body and spirit are attended to. Having been a client myself, I noticed a need to bridge the gap between traditional counselling and traditional spiritual healing approaches.
Talking therapy isn’t for everybody, and so, many choose a holistic route instead. There are so many fantastic healers out there doing amazing work. However, many are not formally trained in how to hold space for their clients. For example, in safeguarding and risk, in active listening, holding intense emotions, respecting client autonomy, or in how to manage ethical boundaries to avoid harm.
As fantastic healers are doing fantastic work- there is an abundance of incredible counsellors doing life-changing work with clients. However, research shows that spiritual clients need to know it’s ‘safe’ to show their spiritual side, otherwise they leave their spirituality at the door. As a spiritual person, I know how important one’s beliefs are to the way one views and makes meaning of reality. To leave this out of any sort of self-exploration feels counterintuitive to me.
So, this inspired me to offer a therapeutic space where clients know their spiritual self is welcome. We can include spiritual practices to enhance our explorations. We can share language, they know they won’t be judged, and they can include their spiritual understandings in their exploration of whatever it is they are bringing to the session.
Can you describe how The Soulshine Therapist separates you from others in your field?
Somebody once said to me, “And is a better word than or” and this has certainly inspired my offer.
At The Soulshine Therapist, I am offering AND instead of OR.
Despite their complementary nature, there is a separation between the world of talking therapy and holistic healing and, through The Soulshine Therapist, I am bringing them together to offer spiritual clients a more inclusive approach that respects their beliefs as a fundamental part of who they are.
I see the spiritual and psychological as deeply entwined. I work with all clients in their wholeness, and through the work we are attending to their humanity and their spirituality. So many of the clients I have worked with have reflected on how they were searching for this way of healing for so long, and they feel grateful to have found me. This shows me that I am offering something different, and something that is needed.
What are the range of services and therapies you offer? How can clients work with you?
I work in-person (Warrington, Cheshire, UK) and online with clients living all over the world (except the USA and Canada).
Clients have the choice to work with me in just one way (e.g. they may just book for counselling), but if they want to, and if it’s appropriate and facilitative, we can look at working in a more integrative way. I am incredibly passionate about each of the therapies I offer, and I truly believe in their potential.
However clients choose to do therapy, I believe each of the approaches has something to offer and can support clients as they strive for improved well-being. Each alone can be a game changer for people ready to transform their lives, but integrating practices can really boost a client’s experience of therapy.
I work on a client-by-client basis and individually tailor how we work together. Listening to what the client wants, plus trusting my professional judgment on what is appropriate, ethical and facilitative for that client and their presenting issue, we collaborate on what feels like the best approach, with this being an ongoing conversation.
Counselling
Counselling acts as the foundation of all my work because it informs my way of being with clients. I am trained in person-centred therapy, which is a relational form of talking therapy that aligns with the belief that we are the expert of our own life, and with the right conditions, we can realise our potential.
As counsellor, it is my job to create those right conditions so the client and I can build a strong therapeutic relationship that allows them to explore whatever it is that has led them to seek counselling.
As described previously, I saw a gap within the counselling world for spiritual clients. As a minority group, I saw little inclusion within the profession and wanted to offer a service that welcomes and includes the client’s spirituality. Likewise, I noticed some holistic approaches not fully supporting the client’s cognitive and emotional needs.
My approach works to consider their human experience (past, present, future) with how this speaks to the client on a spiritual (energetic) level.
Spiritual Coaching
Spiritual coaching sessions are for those who want to deepen their relationship with their spiritual self, to support their overall well-being. More action-orientated than counselling, spiritual coaching supports clients in their personal and spiritual development. Again, this looks different for each client but, using my skills and knowledge, I will support clients with whatever their goal(s) may be.
Sessions are usually focussed on coaching the client in developing their own spiritual practices, looking at their mindset, exploring their beliefs and values, and working with their energy. Some of the concepts I work with include the chakras, masculine and feminine energy, the archetypes, the wounded feminine, and the laws of spirit (e.g. The Law of Attraction, The Law of Duality, The Law of Choice etc.).
I extend my person-centred way of being to my coaching work. Although I am guiding the client, I trust they know what is best for them and it’s important to me that the client’s voice is heard. This isn’t about me being a ‘guru’ teaching the ‘right’ way, but more “let me be alongside you as you explore what feels good and makes sense to you”.
I am not imprinting my beliefs onto the client, but helping them to explore what their beliefs are, and how they want to embody those in their daily life.
Tarot Therapy
I was giving tarot readings for a while when I realised my reading style was meant to be about supporting the client in the present, rather than predicting their future. Now I have developed an offer that puts the client at the centre of the reading, using my counselling skills to hold the session in a way that is facilitative to the client’s healing.
I have a deep relationship with the tarot and trust that the tarot will guide me in the direction of whatever is most facilitative to the client’s journey in the present moment. This takes some clients by surprise, as they intend to look at one thing, but the tarot throws up another, yet the guidance is always helpful and resonates.
I work with the tarot in two ways.
Firstly, within counselling sessions, if a client has chosen to integrate tarot, this looks different from booking a tarot therapy session. Here, I would offer the client the tarot as a tool for exploration, using the artwork of the cards to spark conversation. Instead of reading the cards in the traditional sense (this card means that), I allow the client to lead by reading the card for themselves, with my guidance.
For example, I might ask them to describe what they think is happening in the card? How do they feel looking at the card? What do the colours or imagery say to them? By engaging the client’s intuition, the tarot allows what is perhaps outside of the client’s awareness to come into the room for us to work with.
Secondly, Tarot Therapy sessions can be booked as one-off sessions, or regular sessions (max. once per month). In the session, I focus on establishing a grounded and calm space before I create a spread which gives me an energetic snapshot of where the client is currently. This acts as a starting point as I reflect what I am picking up to the client, and together we work through this. I will also offer points of reflection to support them beyond the session.
The feedback I get from my readings often speaks of gaining clarity, reassurance, and comfort. Clients tell me that Tarot Therapy is a transformational and empowering way to look at their stuff because my focus is on helping the client find flow in their present. Although the many misconceptions of tarot have harmed its reputation, I find people are curious, and enjoy this type of exploration. Tarot Therapy is a fantastic alternative to traditional forms of therapy.
Angelic Reiki Healing
Angelic Reiki is a gentle form of energy healing that works on a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual level. I combine chakra rebalance in my sessions, and for those seeing me in-person I will also use crystals to support the healing.
Angelic Reiki works subtly yet can have profound effects. It works to restore balance and harmony within the physical and energetic body. As the healer, I am channelling this healing energy to facilitate the client’s self-healing.
If you imagine each cell of your body as a battery, sometimes the cells become depleted and don’t work to the best of their ability. The reiki energy acts as a charger, restoring optimal energy to each cell, and helping the client to feel their best on all levels. It also works to clear any blocks, stagnant and negative energy, refilling the client with universal life force energy.
Being a counsellor means clients can trust I have an understanding and the skills to support them with any intense emotions that may come up. During the healing, I may pick up on guidance for the client. Again, with my person-centred way of being, I will offer these reflections to the client during our de-brief and allow them the space to create their own meaning from what came up. I will offer suggestions on how the client can support their well-being beyond the session.
Clients can book for one-off sessions, but for a deeper healing experience, I recommend booking a block of regular sessions. Angelic Reiki complements counselling and spiritual coaching beautifully. Clients can therefore choose to have Angelic Reiki alongside their therapy or coaching sessions.
Guided Inner Child Healing
Inner child healing sessions allow the client to explore the hurt, lost or rejected parts of them. Using visualisation techniques, inner child healing allows the client to contact the underlying wounds that are manifesting as issues in their present life. This might be from a specific event, the client’s upbringing, or the beliefs they hold about themselves, others and the world.
Again, this looks different for every client and is dependent on their presenting issue and their therapeutic goals. Regardless, my intention is to help clients be present with themselves, to explore their struggles in a calm and healing way.
These sessions allow the client to feel more self-acceptance, self-understanding and self-love. Through the work, we compassionately nurture the inner child to free the adult of the heaviness they have been carrying.
Can you share any success stories or client testimonials that highlight the impact of your services?
I take client confidentiality very seriously, so have gained consent to share this story. I have respected the client’s wishes in omitting certain details.
A client came to see me after a traumatic memory from childhood had resurfaced for them. They had been drinking alcohol when they experienced an intense flashback of something they had buried long ago. The flashback changed everything. The feelings and emotions were intense, and they were finding day-to-day functioning difficult under the weight of this memory.
They described feeling like there was a constant undercurrent of anger, that could explode at any moment. They felt distant from themselves and others, had a muddy mind, and felt extremely overwhelmed with their emotions. Physically, they were holding lots of tension in the body, making it difficult for them to relax and sleep.
I suggested we begin with Angelic Reiki, as the client found it hard to contact their pain through words. Although the client had never engaged in energy healing before, they were open to trying anything to help them move through the intense feelings they were experiencing.
After just two sessions of Angelic Reiki, the client experienced a fundamental shift in their emotions, body, headspace, and overall sense of self. The tensions they had been holding began to ease. They described the experience as a heavy cloud being lifted, allowing them to feel lighter. This allowed them to feel hope again.
After this, the client chose to work with me for some blended counselling and inner child healing sessions. Through this work, they began to see how, even when unremembered, the trauma had been holding them back, causing them to self-sabotage, and ultimately was blocking them from living a fulfilling life. Making these connections was profound for them.
At our ending session, the client reflected that without having Angelic Reiki first, they don’t think they would have been able to engage through talking. Blocked energy within their body had limited their ability to contact their truth. Working in this holistic way allowed them to reconnect with themselves on a mind-body-spirit level.
As their feelings of shame, pain, anger, and emptiness began to dissipate, the client was able to realign to their wholeness. The overwhelming emotions they had been experiencing settled and they began to feel more connected to themselves and others. They found their divinity, their sensing, and ultimately, their own meaning-making. This allowed them to find inner peace, self-love and acceptance.
Since we worked together, this client often gets in touch to thank me for helping them find freedom and empowerment from their trauma. I will always honour their bravery in choosing to heal, and for giving all of themselves to the process.
What do you see as the future of "The Soulshine Therapist”?
When I think about the future of The Soulshine Therapist I am humbled to recognise that it’s really in its infancy, which brings excitement because I believe there is much expansion and growth to be had.
Working consciously with energy and balancing human experience with spiritual meaning is something that is gaining more mainstream attention and with it, some acceptability. Science, too, is catching up, which is very exciting. Social media has helped, with more people becoming aware of the spiritual. There is certainly a shift happening.
So, I believe in the years to come, this approach will become more conventional too, as more people begin to understand the world through the lens of energy, the power of the mind, and our oneness with the Universe.
Until then, I want to normalise the inclusion of spiritual practice within the counselling and psychotherapy world by promoting what I do and how my work helps people. I am working on offering training to counsellors who are also holistic healers, on how to ethically integrate the two.
I also have a goal to offer workshops for counselling training providers on the importance of not overlooking spirituality within training programmes. I want to be a part of the change that shifts the perception of this type of work, allowing the two approaches to marry together for client benefit.
For those interested in learning more about your services, what steps can they take to connect with you?
I offer a no-obligation, free 20-minute consultation for all potential clients. The simplest way to connect with me is to send a DM through Instagram or to submit an enquiry through my website.
