Sophie Symons

You can have counselling with me online over video, by phone, or face-to-face at my counselling room in Macclesfield. You can even mix and match if that would fit in with your life better.

I currently have daytime availability on Fridays and Saturday mornings, and evening availability on weekdays until 9pm.

I charge £50 for telephone/video counselling and £60 for face-to-face counselling. I do offer a limited number of concessionary slots at £30, so please feel free to reach out if you're struggling financially.

What kind of counsellor am I? 

I offer person-centred counselling. I'd be happy to explain more about what this means, and discuss whether this is right for you, in a short initial phone call, or give you some information by email. Essentially, though, I believe that we all see the world very differently, and have different experiences and values, but most of us are instinctively trying to do our best, and be the best versions of ourselves. Sometimes life gets in the way of that, and we need a bit of help to get back in touch with ourselves and find the answers that are within us.​

​I'm a trained counsellor, but I'm not the expert on you, and I don't have all the answers. But I will care about you, listen to you, challenge you, be interested in you, and support you in figuring things out. I can't do the work for you, but I can do it with you.

What will counselling with me be like?

Therapy is different for every client. Some clients are going through something very painful and need a space where it's OK to be sad, angry, or overwhelmed. I can give them a space where it's safe to express those feelings. Others like to be challenged, get a new perspective on their story, or even have a laugh about what life has thrown at them this week. Some of my clients want to just turn up each time and see what spills out, whereas others like to come with a plan for every session. Your hour with me is your time, and it's up to you. 

I offer a free 15-minute phone/video chat so you can see if you feel comfortable talking to me, and so I can see if I think I can help you. If you'd like to go ahead, I'll send you my counselling agreement to read over and a couple of forms to fill out, to minimise the time we spend on paperwork in our first session. 

In the first session, I'll answer any questions you have about the agreement or counselling generally, and we'll talk about your goals for therapy. I have a short well-being questionnaire that most of my clients choose to do at the start of every session, but it's up to you. Some clients like to come up with their own questions as well or instead. 

We'll also talk about whether you'd like short- or long-term therapy. Sometimes clients want to start with five or six sessions, and then decide after that if they want to keep going - that's OK too.