Counselling in Edinburgh

Hello, I am Harris and I can help you to heal and flourish. I am an Edinburgh-based Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Philosophical Counsellor, working with individuals and couples both in person (in Edinburgh) or via Skype.I use a pluralistic psychotherapeutic approach, which means I combine tools and knowledge gained from across many different psychotherapies to develop a programme that is uniquely tailored to you and your specific needs.Through a collaborative, creative and integrative approach, I will work with you, drawing on my extensive knowledge of wide range of effective psychotherapies.

As a qualified therapist and a Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy, I maintain a full private practice working online with adults and couples. I'll work with you collaboratively to develop the tools, clarity, & understanding you need to grow and heal while honouring, with compassion & respect, the humanness in what you’re going through and the unique way that you experience life. Together, we may uncover the beliefs and patterns that are hurting or holding you back and pattern new, healthier ways of being with yourself and with others.

Welcome! I'm Sophie Santolaria, an Art Psychotherapist trained in Edinburgh, Scotland. With an International Master of Sciences in Art Psychotherapy, I have extensive experience working with trauma, addictions, eating disorders and more. I've successfully supported diverse populations in various settings like the NHS, charities, and schools. I specialize in online art psychotherapy for individuals of all ages and also support trainee Art Psychotherapist. Let's embark on a transformative journey together.

I offer pluralistic counselling/psychotherapy through an intersectional feminist lens. I work in a collaborative, non-pathologising way. My services include both open-ended counselling/psychotherapy and time-limited counselling/psychotherapy (12 sessions with an option to renew).

For the past ten years I have been helping individuals, couples and families with mental health difficulties. My professional journey includes over 8 years of NHS practice, big chunk of it dedicated to helping those on psychiatric wards. Now I work mainly in my private practice. Typical problems that I have experience treating include depression, anxiety, OCD, adjustment difficulties, trauma/PTSD, stress and relationship difficulties. I see psychotherapy as a personal journey, a chance to get to know yourself better, a safe space to explore and to grow. My interests lie in a human, in embodied experience and in the process.

The first session is an opportunity to hear what brings you to therapy. We will assess the level and impact of the difficulty you are facing on your life, which will create a baseline that we will use later to monitor progress. We will then focus on finding out what you would like to gain from our work together. Often, clients know what they do not want, but identifying what they would like to change is harder. My role is to help you with that. Studies show that awareness of your needs is the first crucial step in the process of change

At times issues and difficulties in your life might be causing you to feel unfulfilled or distressed, or even just a sense of unhappiness within you. Counselling is a process of talking about these issues and working through them confidentially with a Counsellor. Counselling also helps you address your problems in a positive way, enabling you to clarify these issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness. I will offer you a confidential time and space to explore all of these in a very supportive way. I aim to work with you in a way which offers understanding, support and enables you have new perspectives.

Do you feel overwhelmed by life. Does it feel like all your thoughts and feelings are like a ball of tangled spaghetti. Anxiety, depression and lots of other issues could be entwined. Counselling can help you to un-tangle that ball, help you to understand your thoughts and feelings. I am a qualified, Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, working within Leith, Edinburgh area. I work with a wide range of issues and specialise in working with Domestic abuse issues. My approach to counselling is based on the belief that healthy emotional well-being is created within safe, nurturing and caring relationships.

I have always been profoundly curious about others and aim to foster that curiosity in my clients. I am interested in the ways that our families, culture and environment shape us and in the ways in which people create meaning in their lives. I have found again and again that counselling and psychotherapy can help people understand themselves more deeply and bring about changes which lead to more fulfilled and interesting ways of living, as well as to an improved understanding of themselves in relationship with others. I am able to work on both a short and long term basis, with a preference for longer term work.

I am passionate about forming strong therapeutic relationships with my clients to enable us to work in collaboration towards their personal goals. I have worked in psychology services since 2008 and as a Clinical Psychologist in highly specialist teams within the NHS since 2015. I have specialist experience in working with people living with physical health conditions, as well as working with people who are dealing with challenging life stressors. I am experienced in drawing upon a number of evidenced based approaches and tailoring therapy to my clients and their individual needs, goals and values.

Life can be stressful. Balancing the pressure of our commitments with our desire for health, happiness and authenticity can feel exhausting or even impossible. We all need to slow down and carve out some space in our lives to connect with our inner selves and the deeper meaning beyond our everyday existence. I offer a holistic approach to counselling and therapy, combining evidence based practice with holistic tools such as mindfulness, meditation, somatic experiencing, self-care, personal and spiritual growth. I am committed to a deepening path of open-hearted living and self discovery.

Anxiety, perfectionism, and self-criticism; this triple combo of hurt can stop us from going after the things we really want in life. We can find ourselves trying to distract ourselves from the uncomfortable fear of failing, opting out of things we want to do out of fear, and getting caught up in thoughts about 'what ifs' and 'maybe' until we feel frozen. Or we might push ourselves to the point of burning out seeking the validation we only find when we achieve something driven by a fear of the day we are not good enough. If your sense of self-worth has become tied to 'doing' rather than simply existing, I may be able to help.

Are you are fed up struggling with your insecurities and never feeling good enough? Have you had enough of living in fear and not feeling truly happy? Are you looking for change but not sure how to do it? Working with a professional can help you to set clear goals to overcome your difficulties. You can be happier by working out what is holding you back. You can learn tools to better manage your emotions and the stresses in your life.

My passion for wanting to support mums was borne out of my own difficult journey into motherhood. A challenging pregnancy and a traumatic birth followed by severe postnatal depression and PTSD fuelled my drive to working with mums to make their journeys more manageable and enjoyable. Having worked hard on recovering from this difficult start to motherhood, I went on to train as a counsellor at the University of Edinburgh (MSc) and Chrysalis (Postgraduate Diploma). I have completed numerous trainings on trauma - specifically birth trauma and continue to participate in CPDs to inform my practice as a perinatal mental health therapist