We are proud to be a not-for-profit organisation and created Adept to make a difference, both in the work we do and in how we invest our time and money beyond our efforts. We believe our work can and should serve a purpose both in how we deliver our services and what we do with the fruits of our labour.
Now an established counselling training centre with exemplar status, we aim to provide a variety of courses that will create a supportive community wherever we are.
Contact UsSince qualifying as a counsellor in 2002, Sharon has built The Listening Centre into a multi-award-winning Employee Assistance Provider, earning national recognition when the BACP and BBC cited The Listening Centre as the industry gold standard.
The Listening Centre was named Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Business of the Year 2025.
As a BACP Accredited counsellor with over 24 years’ experience, Sharon takes a person-centred, trauma-informed approach. Her passion for developing future counsellors led to establishing Adept Central in 2017. With warmth, integrity and a down-to-earth personality, Sharon draws on this expertise to guide and support people on their journey into this exciting and rewarding profession.
Sharon brings over 14 years of counselling experience and extensive public sector management background to her role as Head of Education at Adept Central. After qualifying with a nationally accredited Diploma in Counselling from the University of the West of England, she became an accredited member of the National Counselling Society (NCPS).
Having taught at another CPCAB centre for many years, Sharon understands the learner journey from both student and educator perspectives. As Head of Education, she oversees quality assurance, centre compliance, and due diligence processes, ensuring Adept Central maintains the highest standards required by CPCAB and professional bodies. Her combination of therapeutic expertise, teaching experience, and senior management background enables her to maintain rigorous educational standards whilst supporting meaningful learning outcomes.
Hope brings a unique blend of healthcare and educational expertise to Adept Central. A Registered Mental Health Nurse who transitioned into counselling, she completed her PGDip in Integrative Psychotherapy and now specialises in trauma, autism, and domestic violence recovery through her work with Black Country Women’s Aid and Staffordshire’s Children’s Disability Team.
As a CPCAB tutor, assessor, and supervisor, Hope teaches across Levels 2-4 counselling courses whilst providing group supervision for other training establishments and working as an External Verifier. With her creative, practical approach and extensive experience across healthcare, education, and therapy, Hope supports students in developing both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential for effective counselling practice.
Neve joined Adept Central in the spring of 2026, bringing valuable front-facing experience from the hospitality sector where she developed strong interpersonal and organisational skills in fast-paced environments.
As Course Co-ordinator, Neve manages student queries, administrative systems, and day-to-day operations – ensuring everything runs smoothly so our tutors can focus on delivering exceptional training. Her natural warmth and responsiveness make her the friendly first point of contact for prospective and current students.
Neve completed Adept’s Level 1 Introduction to Listening Skills course, giving her genuine insight into the student experience and the foundations of person-centred practice that underpin everything we do.