Sophie MacLeod

My intention is to help you to find a way forward whatever your issues may be. You will be able to talk about anything in a confidential space, knowing that I will not be judging or criticising you and through this, I hope that you will be able to think about new perspectives, new solutions and gain some relief. I hope to be a friendly, calm and warm person. As an integrative therapist I mainly want to go at your pace and work on whatever is a priority for you. I incorporate Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) which promotes an evolutionary and bio-psycho-social approach. We all have tricky brains that have evolved over time and, through no fault of our own, this can make coping with our thoughts and feelings quite challenging sometimes. We will think about your problems in the light of your specific situation and context. In CFT we try to cultivate a 'Compassionate Mind' that can help us to deal with strong emotions. We can work with imagery and mindfulness and use chairwork and other exercises to explore your feelings and where patterns of behaviour began. I am an Accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist with more than 10 years of experience and have worked in private practice since 2016 so have seen people with a variety of presenting issues and from a range of backgrounds. I also currently work in a small university offering counselling to students and have worked in universities in other roles as well so I feel that I have an in-depth understanding of the pressures both staff and students are facing in Higher Education. I enjoy working with students, including mature students, and have valued the opportunity of accompanying them through an important time of transition.