About Amy: From Shape-Shifting to Authentic Self
Creating safe spaces where your whole self is welcome
Hi, I'm Amy Hughes
I'm a psychotherapist who believes that healing happens best when we're truly seen and accepted for who we are. Through gentle counselling and nature connection, I help women move from self-doubt to trusting their own inner wisdom again.
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
My Journey to This Work
I understand the exhaustion of people-pleasing because I've lived it. For years, I was the eternal "good girl"—always available, constantly putting others first, and shape-shifting to fit whatever role each person needed me to be.
Like many women, I became an expert at studying the unwritten rules: the right ways to dress, think, and behave. I tried on different identities—the perfect daughter, the rebel soul, the social butterfly, the spiritual seeker—each promising that elusive sense of finally belonging somewhere, of being enough.
What I didn't realize then was that each time I changed myself to fit in, I was moving further away from accepting who I truly was. This pattern left me feeling increasingly lost, watching pieces of myself scatter across the various versions I had tried to become.
Finding My Way Back
My journey back to myself wasn't straightforward. It happened through therapy, yes, but also through long walks in nature where my mind could finally quiet, through moments of stillness where I could hear my own voice beneath the noise of expectations, and through learning to trust the wisdom my body had been offering all along.
I discovered that healing doesn't just happen in isolation trying to everything yourself—it happens in relationship. Sometimes that relationship is with a therapist who truly sees you. Sometimes it's with the natural world that reflects back your own rhythms and cycles. Often, it's both.
This personal transformation led me to become a therapist myself, but more than that—it led me to create the kind of therapeutic space I had needed: one where all parts of you are welcome, where spirituality and intuition are honoured, and where nature's wisdom is woven into the healing process.
My Professional Background
Qualifications & Registration:
Qualified Psychotherapist and Counsellor (MNCPS acc) in 2020
Registered with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
Certificates in providing online therapy and Walk and talk therapy
Fully insured and committed to ongoing professional development
Professional Journey:
My path to therapy began in healthcare, where I spent nine years as a children's nurse in the NHS. Working in neonatal care and on a specialist burns ward taught me about resilience, the healing power of human connection, and how much our emotional wellbeing impacts our physical health.
In 2020, I specialised in online therapy, discovering how powerful therapeutic connection could be even across digital space. Since launching Start Blossoming in 2021, I've been privileged to work with over 70 clients all over the UK, helping them reconnect with their authentic selves and move beyond patterns that no longer serve them.
This summer, I'm expanding my practice to include walk and talk therapy sessions in the beautiful woodlands of Worcestershire and South Shropshire—bringing together my love of nature with my commitment to creating unique healing spaces
Between Sessions
When I'm not working with clients, you'll find me living a quietly creative life with my husband, son, and our black Labrador Frank. We love walking in nature (Frank insists on this daily!), discovering cozy coffee shops, and exploring the seasonal rhythms of the countryside.
At home, I enjoy crafting projects while listening to audiobooks, tending to my plants, and creating small rituals that honor the changing seasons. Friends describe me as creative, quirky, and kind—qualities I bring wholeheartedly into my therapy practice.
Ready to Begin Your Journey?
Free 30-minute Consultation calls available
See my upcoming availability
If you would rather have me reach out via email to book a session