Darren Sharpe

Supervisor

Online

Specialist Attachment-Based Clinical Supervision

Are you studying a Level 5 qualification in attachment-based psychotherapy and looking for a supervisor who genuinely understands the course, its clinical demands and the personal and professional development you are being asked to undertake?

From September 2026, I will offer specialist online clinical supervision for counsellors completing Level 5 training in attachment-based psychotherapy. As a supervisor-in-training, I also welcome qualified counsellors and psychotherapists who would like to deepen their attachment-informed practice.

As a tutor on the Level 5 Diploma in Attachment-Based Psychotherapy with Optima Attachment Training, I have a detailed understanding of the journey students are taking. This involves moving beyond an intellectual understanding of attachment theory and beginning to recognise how attachment dynamics emerge within the therapeutic relationship, the client’s wider relationships and the supervision space itself.

Choosing the right supervisor is especially important during advanced clinical training. You need someone with whom you can be open, curious and honest, and who can offer both support and appropriate challenge. You also need a supervisor who understands attachment theory alongside the realities, responsibilities and emotional demands of therapeutic practice.

A Secure Base for Your Professional Development

I see supervision as much more than case management or checking that professional requirements are being met. Supervision should provide a secure base from which you can explore uncertainty, recognise your strengths, reflect on difficulties, take appropriate clinical risks and develop your own authentic way of practising.

My style is warm, relational, collaborative and client-centred. I aim to create a calm, respectful and non-judgemental space where you do not need to perform or present a polished version of yourself. Curiosity, uncertainty and honesty are welcome.

Together, we can explore what is happening between you and your clients, how attachment patterns may be influencing the therapeutic relationship and how the work is affecting you personally and professionally. I will support you to connect theory with lived clinical experience, helping you become more thoughtful, grounded and confident in your decision-making.

I will encourage and support you while also being willing to challenge assumptions, notice recurring patterns and help you look beneath the immediate presenting issue. There is no expectation that you will have everything worked out. Supervision offers a space to think carefully, reflect openly and develop at a pace that feels both supportive and appropriately stretching.

My Therapeutic Approach

I am a BACP-accredited attachment-based psychotherapist, humanistic and person-centred counsellor, supervisor-in-training, trainer and tutor.

My therapeutic work is grounded in empathy, patience, respect and collaboration. I believe that meaningful change is supported by emotional safety, understanding and authentic connection, rather than by rushing or pressuring the process.

Throughout my counselling career, I have supported people experiencing a wide range of emotional, relational and life challenges. I offer a thoughtful and compassionate presence, with a deep appreciation of each person’s unique history, relationships and attachment experiences.

Clients and colleagues often describe me as warm, approachable, steady and thoughtful, with an ability to make complex attachment concepts easier to understand. These qualities also shape my approach to supervision.

Professional Experience

Alongside my private practice, I tutor counsellors completing the Level 5 Diploma in Attachment-Based Psychotherapy with Optima Attachment Training. This gives me an in-depth understanding of the theoretical, personal and clinical development involved in advanced attachment training.

My wider professional experience includes therapeutic fostering, training counsellors and foster carers, public speaking and hosting the Attached Together podcast. These roles have strengthened my understanding of attachment, trauma, relationships and the importance of creating emotional safety while still supporting meaningful and sustainable change.

I am strongly committed to ongoing professional development and regularly engage in clinical supervision, reflective practice and further training. I believe ethical and effective therapeutic work is rooted in continued learning, self-awareness and a willingness to remain curious.

Online Clinical Supervision

Supervision is available online to counsellors and psychotherapists throughout the UK.

Online sessions offer a consistent, confidential and accessible space in which we can think deeply about your client work, your professional development, your training requirements and the impact the work may be having on you.

I welcome enquiries from:

• Counsellors completing Level 5 attachment-based psychotherapy training
• Qualified practitioners seeking to deepen their attachment-informed work
• Counsellors who value relational, humanistic and person-centred supervision
• Practitioners looking for a warm, reflective and appropriately challenging supervisory relationship

Clinical Supervision Fee

£60 per 60-minute session.

Alternative session lengths or supervision arrangements can be discussed according to your training, clinical and professional requirements.

Please get in touch to arrange an initial conversation about your course, current client work and supervision needs.