Who we are
Ava Winter - Founder and Lead Tutor
Clear Light Academy is led by Ava Winter, a psychotherapist and educator based in Guernsey. Her teaching is relational and supportive, shaped by a deep understanding of adult learning and individual difference. Students are guided with care and clarity, enabling them to develop confidence, reflective capacity, and sound professional judgement.
Ava brings together extensive teaching experience and clinical practice. After gaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Cambridge in 2006, she went on to work in secondary and adult education in Guernsey, the UK, and overseas. Alongside her teaching career, she trained as a counsellor and psychotherapist, moving into supervised clinical practice in 2020, while continuing to complete advanced professional study.
Ava holds a Level 6 Diploma (Distinction) in Transpersonal Psychology, a Level 5 Diploma in Integrative & Humanistic Psychotherapy and Counselling, and a Level 5 Diploma in Relational (Couples) Counselling. She is an accredited member of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society, a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and a member of the British Transpersonal Association (BTA). Her experience spans private practice, voluntary sector counselling services, and counselling training settings, and she brings an integrative and trauma-informed approach to her work.
Clear Light Academy emerged from Ava’s desire to bring together her passion for teaching and psychotherapy, through high-quality on-island training.
Sharon Ward - Senior Tutor
Clear Light Academy’s Senior Tutor is Sharon Ward, an accredited counsellor, psychotherapist and relationship therapist based in Guernsey. Her teaching is warm, relational and inclusive, grounded in the belief that people learn best when they feel safe, supported and able to be themselves. Sharon creates a learning environment where students are encouraged to develop confidence, self-awareness and reflective practice.
Sharon brings together extensive clinical practice and counselling training experience. She has worked therapeutically with both couples and individuals through Relate Guernsey, and later as a therapist with Guernsey Mind, where she supported clients experiencing a wide range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, and more complex mental health presentations. She has also served as Clinical Director of the Guernsey Bereavement Service and worked as Training Manager and Lead Tutor at Kingsland Counselling Academy.
Sharon holds qualifications in Relationship Therapy at Levels 4 and 5, a Level 6 qualification in Clinical Supervision, and the Level 3 Award in Education and Training. She is an accredited member of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), an accredited practitioner with the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists (NCIP), and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Sharon brings a broad range of therapeutic experience to her teaching while remaining firmly rooted in a relational approach, supporting students to develop both personally and professionally throughout their counselling training.