Sandra Cunniffe

At present I have availability on a Monday and a Wednesday.  I am available in the morning and the afternoon.

Fàilte! Welcome!

My name is Sandra and I am a person-centred / psychodynamic counsellor. If you are looking at this, there is probably something in your life that is causing you concern, distress or anxiety and you would like to change it in some way.

Almost all of us experience times in our lives when we feel low. There are many issues that can affect our well-being, our confidence and how we relate to others. There could be any number of reasons for feeling unhappy or discontent. It could be grief, loss, trauma, abuse or relationship issues. It could be that you do not know why you feel as you do. Taking that first step to come to counselling can be very overwhelming and the thought of talking to someone and telling them your innermost thoughts may feel impossible.

However, I firmly believe that talking to a counsellor can help you feel listened to and understood. It can give you an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings. I also firmly believe that people have within them the possibility of finding better ways to be, in order to live more functional and fulfilling lives. I aim to provide warmth, compassion, acceptance and responsiveness whilst helping you to use your own resources to resolve difficulties and to find better ways of managing your life.

I am a qualified, integrative counsellor. I draw mainly on person-centred and psychodynamic models of counselling. But I am flexible in my approach and will always try and find the best fit for my clients’ needs. I am a reflective, trauma-informed practitioner and see my clients as unique individuals to whom I can offer a safe, non-judgemental compassionate space in order to explore any issues that are affecting them.  

I am not the expert in your life or anyone-else’s. However, I can offer you gentle, skilled, confidential support for a range of issues. I have experience of working with anxiety, stress, depression, low self-esteem, addiction, bereavement, loss, neglect, trauma and abuse. I have over 30 years’ experience of working in education, social care and the voluntary sector and I am dedicated to social justice, diversity, equality and inclusivity.

I offer short-term and long-term counselling to individuals and couples. This could be face to face, online or by telephone. I work with adults, young people and children. I offer a free 30 minute initial consultation to explore what has brought you to counselling and to see how we might work together. I am a counsellor member of BACP and follow their ethical guidelines. I work in Edinburgh and have premises in the West side of the city and I also work in the East side of the city.

I offer a free 30 minute initial consultation to explore what has brought you to counselling and to talk about what you would like to get out of your counselling cessions.  

I work out of premises at the west side of the city near Haymarket and I also work in the east side of the city near Portobello.