What it is actually like.
Honest detail about the sessions, the commitment, and the point at which I would tell you to see someone else.
Sessions
- Length50 minutes, usually weekly. Weekly matters more than people expect: fortnightly tends to become an update rather than a piece of work.
- WhereIn person in Berkshire, or online anywhere in the UK. Online is not the compromise version; a good deal of my practice runs that way.
- WhoAdults, one to one.
- FeeSonia to confirm: session fee and any concession rate
- First stepA free 15-minute call. No paperwork, no history-taking, no obligation.
How it unfolds
- Sessions one to three
We work out what is running
The first few sessions are about mapping. Which patterns, learned where, triggered by what, and what you reach for when they land. Most people find this part a relief. It is the first time the whole thing has been laid out in one place.
- From there on
We go at the feeling, not just the story
Understanding on its own rarely shifts anything. So we use imagery, dialogue between the different parts of you, and what happens between us in the room. This is the part that people are nervous about and later say was the part that worked.
- Throughout
We build the fairer voice
Schema therapy calls it the healthy adult. Practically, it is the capacity to meet your own distress the way a decent person would meet someone else’s. We build it deliberately, and it gets stronger with use.
- Between sessions
We test it outside the room
Small, specific, slightly uncomfortable experiments between sessions. Saying the thing. Not sending the message. Staying in a conversation you would usually leave. This is where change stops being an idea.
Where I am useful
Long-standing patterns rather than a single recent event. Relationships that keep ending the same way. A critical internal voice that no achievement quiets. Anxiety or low mood with roots much older than the current circumstances. Feeling stuck in a career or a relationship for reasons you cannot name. People given a BPD or NPD diagnosis who would like to be treated as a person about it.
Where I am not
If you are in immediate danger, or need urgent psychiatric input, you need faster and more specialist help than weekly private therapy. If you want short-term, practical tools for one specific problem, a focused CBT course is probably a better use of your money. And if after the first call I think someone else would serve you better, I will say so and point you somewhere sensible. That is not a rejection; it is the whole point of having the call.
What it has been like for others
“I started seeing Sonia when I was going through a really difficult time with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. She guided me through schema therapy and helped me make sense of what I was feeling and why I was thinking the way I did. Sonia was always so patient, kind, and understanding — I never felt judged, only supported. Her compassion and insight made such a difference in my healing, and I’m truly grateful for everything she’s done for me.”
“Sonia has helped me so so much in and out of sessions. I was able to feel a sense of safety very quickly because she shows genuine care with a real sense of knowing and wanting to know. Her companionship is easily felt and she is able to sensitively and powerfully help re-write harmful schema narratives and take on bullying, critical and punitive voices. I really value her support and recommended her to my sister as well when she was in need, saying confidently that Sonia is a therapist to trust.”
“When my anxiety as a new mum was overwhelming, Sonia helped me calm down and be in the right frame of mind to explore my anxiety. She met me at my own pace when I needed it most and could barely function! I felt overwhelmed with my emotions; I currently feel more balanced, stable and able to engage the voice of my ‘healthy adult’ with greater ease!”
“Sonia helped me in a time of my life where I felt stuck with my career and a past relationship. I appreciate the practical ways schema therapy gave the understanding of my past and why I behave a certain way, but the emotional connection helped me be brave to face the issues and steps I needed to take to feel healed. Highly recommend her!”
The next step is a short conversation.
Fifteen minutes, free, and you are not committing to anything by having it.