Sarah-Jane Elwin

I offer an holistic integrative approach to therapy and coaching providing a safe space where we can co-create the right conditions to facilitate your growth, self-discovery and healing, assisting you in your self-development journey.

As an integrative therapist I am able to draw on different approaches allowing me to customise the therapy to suit your individual needs.  My practice is grounded in a social justice, anti-oppression framework. I work individually with adults, adolescents and children.

Trauma-informed and somatic therapy
Trauma does not only affect our thoughts and memories. It can also influence the body, nervous system, emotions, relationships and sense of identity.

You might experience anxiety, shutdown, hyper-vigilance, emotional overwhelm, chronic tension, numbness, shame or difficulty trusting other people. These responses are not signs that you are broken. They may be protective ways that your mind and body learned to survive difficult or unsafe experiences.

As a trauma-trained, somatic and Poly-vagal Informed therapist, I can help you understand these responses with greater compassion. Together, we can explore what has happened to you, recognise what your nervous system needs and develop your capacity for safety, regulation, connection and choice.

I work with experiences including:

Childhood, developmental and complex trauma
Attachment and relational trauma
Single-event and ongoing trauma
Intergenerational and family trauma
Cultural, collective and systemic trauma
Racialised trauma, discrimination and marginalisation
Medical trauma
Chronic stress, anxiety, burnout and emotional overwhelm

My body-oriented approach may include developing awareness of physical sensations, nervous-system responses, movement, grounding, breath, sound or imagery alongside talking therapy. You will never be pressured to take part in a body-based or creative practice. We will work collaboratively and at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you.

Neuro-inclusive therapy and coaching
I have strong experience of working with autistic people and people with ADHD across the lifespan. I welcome people who are formally diagnosed, awaiting assessment, self-identifying or beginning to question whether they may be neurodivergent.

I understand autism and ADHD as differences in how a person experiences, processes and responds to the world, not simply as collections of problems or deficits. The purpose of therapy is not to make you appear more neurotypical. It is to help you understand yourself, identify your needs, reduce shame and create a life that works better with your mind, body and nervous system.

Therapy or coaching may help with:

Exploring your neurodivergent identity
Adjusting to a late diagnosis
Masking, people-pleasing and loss of identity
Autistic or ADHD burnout
Emotional regulation and nervous-system overwhelm
Executive functioning, motivation and procrastination
Rejection sensitivity and low self-esteem
Sensory differences and overstimulation
Relationships, communication and boundaries
Anxiety and trauma
Developing realistic, neuro-inclusive routines
Advocating for your needs at home, school or work
I also support parents and families to understand a child or young person’s behaviour through a compassionate, developmental and neuroinclusive lens. This can include emotional regulation, meltdowns, shutdowns, sensory distress, anxiety, school difficulties, communication and family relationships.

Counselling for children and teenagers
Children and teenagers cannot always put their experiences into words. Distress may instead appear through anxiety, anger, withdrawal, disrupted sleep, school difficulties, physical symptoms, emotional outbursts or changes in behaviour.

I have extensive experience of working therapeutically with children and young people. I adapt sessions to each young person’s age, interests, communication style, sensory profile and developmental needs.

Depending on the child or teenager, sessions may include conversation, play, creative activities, movement, sensory resources and practical emotional-regulation strategies. I aim to provide a space where young people feel respected and understood rather than judged, corrected or expected to communicate in a particular way.

When appropriate, I work collaboratively with parents and carers while maintaining clear, age-appropriate therapeutic boundaries and confidentiality.

Intercultural and inclusive therapy
Our emotional lives cannot be separated from the families, communities, cultures and social systems in which we live.

Experiences of race, culture, migration, gender, sexuality, disability, neurodivergence, class, religion and belonging can all affect mental health and influence whether we feel safe, recognised and understood.

My practice is grounded in social justice and anti-oppressive principles. I welcome people from diverse backgrounds and identities and recognise the psychological and bodily impact of racism, ableism, discrimination, displacement, poverty and exclusion.

I will not assume that every difficulty exists solely within you. Therapy can make space for both your inner world and the wider social, cultural and systemic conditions that may have contributed to your distress.

Counselling for social change
I have a particular interest in working with activists, campaigners, community organisers and people from marginalised communities.

Working for social change can be meaningful and sustaining, but it can also bring exhaustion, grief, anger, conflict, helplessness, secondary trauma and burnout. You may feel pressure to remain strong, continually respond to crises or put the needs of a movement or community before your own wellbeing.

Therapy can offer a confidential space where you do not have to campaign, educate, perform or care for anybody else. We can explore the personal and embodied impact of your work, process grief or trauma, strengthen boundaries and find more sustainable ways to remain connected to your values.

My therapeutic approach
As an integrative therapist, I draw from person-centred therapy, psychodynamic therapy, body-oriented and somatic approaches, mindfulness, coaching and other therapeutic methods. My approach is collaborative: I bring my professional knowledge and experience, while you bring your history, identity, values and knowledge of yourself.

Our work may help you to:

Understand patterns that once helped you survive or maintain relationships
Recognise triggers and nervous-system responses
Develop greater emotional and bodily awareness
Reduce shame and self-criticism
Strengthen boundaries and relationships
Find practical strategies suited to your needs
Reconnect with your identity, values and sense of agency
Experience more safety, choice and connection
I offer therapy for people who want to explore their experiences in depth and coaching for those seeking practical help with goals, transitions, routines, executive functioning or meaningful change. We can discuss which approach, or combination of approaches, is most appropriate for you.

I offer in-person, online and telephone appointments for adults, children and teenagers. Sessions are usually weekly, although other arrangements can be discussed according to your circumstances.

If you are considering therapy or coaching for yourself, your child or a young person in your family, please contact me to arrange an initial conversation. We can talk about what you are looking for and whether I might be the right therapist for you.

I offer appointments that can work around you, in the daytime and evening, across the week. I most commonly work weekly sessions but dependent on your needs and circumstance this could be discussed and arranged for twice-weekly or fortnightly.

Drop me an email, or call on: 0788 244 3380 to discuss how I can help.