About me
Hi there, I'm Sonia, and I like people, a lot.
I am an integrative therapist with a person-centred approach to counselling, grounded in care, empathy, non-judgment, acceptance, and a deep sense of regard for others.
In a world that teaches us to keep our distance, I have realised that the best posture I can take is to lean in. To lean in close to people's pain, to lean in closely to people's stories. Sometimes, when we lean in, people's pain can feel like it is our pain. I have learned that when I am willing to be so leaned in, as to feel someone else’s hurt inside of me, that I can in turn, create a space so sacred and safe for them to lean in so close as to feel and experience my love and care inside of them.
Speaking about our issues and the things we struggle with is often difficult to do and this can lead to us holding our feelings and experiences inside instead.
These might be things like hurts that have been carried with us for a long time, such as childhood experiences and family relationships, or it may also be new challenges that are beginning to show up, which are starting to affect day-to-day life, such as feelings, behaviours or beliefs that impact the way we see ourselves or the world around us.
It can be easier to believe that if we ignore the way we feel, it will just get better in time; however, problems that remain unprocessed often become more complex and interwoven into other areas of our lives.
Working together we can look at life and talk about those difficult things in a safe, respectful, confidential, and supportive space.
You may be coming into counselling with a clear picture of what you need and may find that just a few sessions focused on a specific issue are helpful, or you may be wanting to work through something that you have carried with you for a long time and so might remain in counselling for months or years.
Whoever you are, and whatever you’re going through, I offer and invite a relationship of deep respect for the space we will share, which includes a commitment to working together in a way that honours our growing relationship, especially when therapy feels hard or painful.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a registered counsellor with over twenty years of experience in helping relationships, working therapeutically with people from every walk of life, supporting them with their issues.
I have primarily worked with various forms of abuse, mainly presenting in relationships, such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
For years, I worked in custodial settings, supporting individuals to understand the links between experiences of childhood trauma and violence, and gained precious experience working with individuals and families within communities experiencing multiple disadvantages because of complex mental health needs.
I have also gained valuable experience working in bereavement, and also working with bereavement by suicide. As the director of a residential service for women, I also have valuable experience working closely with self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety and depression.
Alongside my private practice, I head up a counselling service in South Yorkshire, leading a small team of qualified and student counsellors.
I have a particular interest in working with relationships, complex trauma, intergenerational trauma, cultural abuse, shame, and identity work, and how these change, influence or impact the way we see ourselves and experience our relationships with others.
Member organisations
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Cultural Abuse
- Intergenerational Trauma
- Racial Trauma
- Trust Issues
- Spiritual Abuse
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 - £90.00
When I work
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Further information
I offer an inclusive accessible counselling service for adult individuals and couples face-to-face or online.
I work in a way that acknowledges that some clients may have physical barriers to counselling or may need more time to complete the session, for example, those who may use communication aids, have a speech impairment, need to set up assistive devices, or need to take a break during the session.
