About Me: Human Givens Therapy in Richmond & Chiswick

A practical, solution-focused approach to mental health and well-being.

Hi, my name is Sophie, and I am a Human Givens psychotherapist dedicated to providing practical and effective support for those navigating life’s most difficult emotional challenges. My practice is built on the belief that therapy shouldn't be a lifelong process of looking backward. Instead, it should be a focused partnership that gives you the tools to feel better quickly. I provide a nurturing and calm space where we focus on your immediate well-being, helping you regain control and move toward a future that feels steady and positive.

I work across several key areas to help you restore balance to your life:

• Emotional & Mood Regulation: Helping you manage the "high alert" of anxiety, the heavy fog of depression, and the physical toll of chronic stress.
  
  

• Trauma & Cognitive Processing: Using gentle, non-intrusive techniques to help you move past painful memories or phobias without having to relive every detail.
  
  

• Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: Helping you clear the "brain fog" of gaslighting, rebuild your boundaries, and reclaim your sense of self-worth.
  
  

• Stalking & Harassment Recovery: Working to settle the hyper-vigilance and fear that follow a violation of your safety, helping you feel secure in your world again.
  
  

• Postnatal Recovery: Supporting new parents through birth trauma, identity shifts, and the overwhelming anxiety or low mood that can follow a new arrival.

  My style is highly empathetic and guiding. I don't believe in long, circular conversations that leave you feeling stuck. Instead, we work with very specific, achievable goals, often seeing notable successes after just one session. My aim is to empower you to become independent of therapy, typically within four to six sessions, equipped with a "toolkit" of skills you can use for the rest of your life.
  
  

My Background and Lived Experience

My journey to this work started with a degree in psychology from Durham University and training at the Tavistock Centre. However, I spent the first twenty years of my professional life in the charity and international development sector, eventually serving as a charity CEO. This background in high-pressure leadership gives me a grounded perspective on solving complex problems and I understand the weight of responsibility, as well as the pressures people face in many different walks of life.

What truly defines my practice, however, is my lived experience. I specialise in narcissistic abuse, postnatal recovery, and stalking because I have walked these paths myself. I know the exhaustion of a traumatic birth and the confusion of being gaslighted in toxic relationships. I understand the hyper-vigilance that follows harassment and how it can make the world feel like an unsafe place.

Because I have been there, I can offer you a level of empathy and insight that goes beyond the theory. I know how important it is to finally have someone name the patterns you’ve been experiencing so you can start to clear the fog. I combine this personal understanding with high professional standards to ensure you feel completely safe, heard, and supported as we work together to reclaim your sense of self and independence.