Sandra Cunniffe

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she/her
M.A PGCE, Dip Couns. MBACP Certificate Couples Counselling

About me

Hello I'm Sandra.  Starting therapy can  be very beneficial if you are experiencing emotional, behavioural, or mental health challenges.   These challenges could be due to any number of things such as, anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, loss, family or personal relationships.   I am a trained counsellor and I can provide a supportive and confidential space where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.  Everyone has the ability to heal and grow, and I am committed to creating a safe and supportive space where you can be seen and heard.  I can provide warmth, compassion, acceptance and responsiveness so that this can happen.  It is helpful to approach counselling with a curious and open mind and to find a counsellor who is a good fit for you, as the relationship we build together becomes a key factor in the healing process.  

I am a qualified, integrative counsellor. I draw mainly on person-centred and psychodynamic models of counselling.  I have a special interest in working with people who have experienced bereavement  and also with women who are dealing with the impact of abuse and trauma .  I am flexible in my approach and will always try and find the best fit for my clients’ needs. I am a reflective, trauma-informed practitioner and see my clients as unique individuals to whom I can offer a safe, non-judgemental, compassionate space in order to explore any issues that are affecting them.  I believe we are all capable of creating change in our lives.   We can  learn how to let go of counter productive behaviours and replace them with more effective ones. 

I am not the expert in your life, but I can offer you gentle, skilled, confidential support for a range of issues. I have experience of working with anxiety, stress, depression, low self-esteem, addiction, bereavement, loss, neglect, trauma and abuse.  I have extensive experience of working with survivors of domestic abuse, physical and emotional abuse and CSA.  I am also interested in working with people who have suffered loss and bereavement and have been a grief counsellor with Cruse Scotland since 2023.

I have over 30 years experience of working in education, social care and the voluntary sector and I am dedicated to social justice, diversity, equality and inclusivity.  I feel this is integral to who I am as a person. 

I offer short-term and long-term counselling to individuals and couples. This could be  face to face, online or by telephone. I work with adults and young people.  I offer a free 15 minute initial consultation to explore what has brought you to counselling and to see how we might work together. I am a registered member of BACP and follow their ethical guidelines. I work in Edinburgh.

Training, qualifications & experience

  • Diploma in counselling Interface Edinburgh 2022
  • Post-grad certificate in Counselling University of Edinburgh  2019
  • PGCE Moray House Heriot-Watt University1996
  • M.A University of Edinburgh 1982

Member organisations

COSCA
Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA)

COSCA is the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland, and seeks to advance all forms of counselling and psychotherapy and the use of counselling skills by promoting best practice and through the delivery of a range of sustainable services. COSCA Counsellor Accreditation is a pathway to entry onto the UKRC. It is a requirement of all individual and organisational members of COSCA to abide by its Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice and be accountable to the Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

Accredited register membership

Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland

Areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Fees

£60.00 per session

Concessions offered for

  • Low income
  • OAPs
  • Students
  • Unemployed
  • Refugees

Additional information

My fees are: £60 per 50 min session individual

£70 per 60 min session couples

Concessions for students and seniors

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Early morning
Morning
Early afternoon
Late afternoon
Evening

Suite 4/2, Great Michael House, 14 Links Place, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, EH6 7EZ

24 Mountcastle Terrace, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, EH8 7SQ

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Children (0-12)
Young people (13-17)
Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Couples
Families
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

PVG Scheme

In Scotland, criminal records checks are carried out by Disclosure Scotland. Professionals working with children or vulnerable adults must join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. You can learn more at mygov.scot , or contact this professional directly.

Additional languages

Scottish Gaelic

Online platforms

Zoom
Sandra Cunniffe
Sandra Cunniffe