Sorayya Sainsbury

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she/her
MSc, UKBA (cert), MBACP (Accred)

About me

I believe that one of the bravest and most transformative actions you can take is choosing to truly understand your own story. Often, we reach out for support when we feel deeply stuck, exhausted by trying to fit into environments that don't suit us, or weighed down by anxiety and old patterns that no longer serve us.
My goal is to offer you a warm, collaborative, and entirely non-judgmental space where you don't have to "mask" or hide any part of who you are. Together, we will work toward a life that feels resilient, purposeful, and beautifully aligned with who you truly are.

My Approach
I am an Accredited Member of the BACP and a Certified UKBA Practitioner. I hold a MSc in Behaviour Analysis and Therapy and BSc in Psychology, alongside training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy, which gives me a really thorough understanding of how our environments and habits shape our daily lives. However, I don’t believe in rigid, clinical distance. I view therapy as a completely equal partnership, where we will work together to figure out why you feel stuck and how to help you move forward.
I am also deeply committed to providing neuro-affirming, trauma informed and culturally sensitive care. Our unique backgrounds and neurobiology completely shape how we experience the world, and my focus is always on honouring your lived experience exactly as it is.

My Clinical Modalities
I do not believe in a "one-size-fits-all" approach to healing. I offer both brief, solution-focused support and longer-term, deeper therapeutic work, depending on what you need. These include:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): To help you build psychological flexibility, learning to handle difficult thoughts and feelings effectively so they no longer run your life.
Behavioural Therapy: Utilising behavioural insights to help you break out of old, stuck habits and gently build new, life-enhancing routines.
Schema Therapy: To explore and safely restructure the deeper, long-standing core beliefs and childhood patterns that disrupt your present.
If any of this resonates with you, please feel free to reach out. Taking that first step can feel daunting, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Whether you are looking for short-term tools to get through a specific hurdle or a longer space to deeply unpack your experiences, I am here to support you at a pace that feels entirely safe and comfortable for you. I look forward to connecting and working together.

Training, qualifications & experience

Academic Qualifications

  • MSc Behaviour Analysis and Therapy | University of South Wales (BACB Accredited)
  • BSc (Hons) Psychology | University of Glamorgan (BPS Accredited)

Professional Accreditations

  • Accredited Member | British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Accred)
  • Certified Member | UK Society for Behaviour Analysts (UK-SBA)

Advanced Therapeutic Training & CPD

I am committed to continuous professional development to ensure my practice remains evidence-based, inclusive, and ethically sound. My recent specialised training includes:

  • ACT for Autism: A Neuro-affirming Approach (Russ Harris 2025)
  • ADHD in Focus: Effective Treatment Strategies for Practitioners (BehaviorLive, 2025)
  • Radical Values: Navigating Professional & Personal Value Misalignment (BehaviorLive, 2025) 
  • Trauma-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Russ Harris, 2024)
  • Neuro-affirmative Mental Health Training (The Autism Wellness Collective, 2024)
  • Assent under the Medical Model: Neurodivergent Affirming Practices (BehaviorLive, 2024)
  • Therapy in Colour: Anti-Racist & Intersectional Approaches (BAATN, 2023)
  • Working with Race, Identity, and Intersectionality (Birkbeck, University of London, 2023)
  • ACT for Anxiety and Depression (The ACT Matrix Academy, 2023)
  • Suicide Awareness and Response for Professionals (4 Mental Health, 2023)
  • Schema Therapy: Beyond the Basics & Complex Presentations (Schema Therapy Wales, 2022)
  • Exposure Therapy for Anxiety (Behaviour-Behaviour, 2022)
  • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I work with a broad range of issues. If what you are looking is not included above then please drop me an email.

Fees

£75.00 per session

When I work

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

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Wheelchair user access
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Counsellor's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Counsellor to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

Online platforms

Google Meet
Sorayya Sainsbury
Sorayya Sainsbury