Counselling for couples and individuals navigating the complexities of relationships — whether you are trying to rebuild, communicate better, or simply understand what you need.
Relationship difficulties take many forms. Some arrive suddenly — an affair, a crisis, a moment of rupture. Others build slowly over years until the distance between two people feels vast. Wherever you are, counselling can help.
You love each other but something has broken down — communication, trust, intimacy, or simply the ability to feel like a team. Couples counselling creates a space to understand what is happening and find a way forward.
Sometimes one partner wants support even if the other is not ready for couples work. Individual counselling can help you understand your patterns, your needs, and what you want from your relationship.
New parenthood, infertility, bereavement, career upheaval — major life changes put enormous pressure on relationships. Counselling helps couples navigate change without losing each other.
My approach draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, and person-centred practice. These are approaches with strong evidence for couples specifically — not just general therapy adapted for two people.
I am trained to hold the space for both partners equally. My job is not to decide who is right — it is to help you both feel heard, and to identify the patterns that have brought you here.
Sessions are structured but never rigid. Some couples need a safe space to have the conversations they have been avoiding. Others need practical tools. Most need both.
I create space for both partners to speak and be heard without interruption, judgment, or taking sides.
Most relationship conflict is driven by underlying patterns and unmet needs. We work to understand those, not just manage the symptoms.
Insight matters, but so does having concrete strategies to use between sessions. I balance reflection with practical skill-building.
Sometimes counselling helps couples recommit. Sometimes it helps them separate with clarity and kindness. Both are valid outcomes.
I am Sophie — a BACP-accredited counsellor and couples therapist based in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. I have been working with individuals and couples for fourteen years, and relationship difficulties have been the heart of my practice throughout.
I trained in integrative counselling and subsequently completed specialist training in Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method — two approaches specifically developed for couples work and with the strongest research evidence behind them.
I believe most people come to counselling not because they have failed, but because they care enough to try. That takes courage — and I do not take it lightly.
We came to Sophie as a last resort, genuinely unsure if our marriage could survive. Two years later we are in a better place than we have been in a decade. She is extraordinary at what she does.
I came alone because my partner was not ready for couples work. Sophie helped me understand my own patterns so clearly that when my partner did join, we made progress much faster than I expected.
Sophie has a rare ability to hold both of us at the same time. Neither of us ever felt ganged up on or dismissed. That balance is incredibly hard to achieve and she does it effortlessly.
We used counselling to navigate separating in a way that was kind and good for our children. It was not what I expected therapy to help with but it was exactly what we needed. Thank you, Sophie.
Starting couples counselling can feel daunting. Here is exactly what to expect from the first contact to ongoing sessions.
A 20-minute call — just you, or both of you together. We talk about what is happening and whether working together feels right.
We explore what has brought you here, what each of you hopes for, and begin to map the patterns that have developed.
Optionally, I meet with each partner separately once early in the process — to hear things that may be difficult to say together.
Weekly or fortnightly sessions, in-person in Stockbridge or online. We review progress regularly and adjust as things shift.
The first conversation is free, informal, and commits you to nothing. You can come together or reach out alone — both are completely fine.
Book a free consultationFree 20-minute call · No obligation · Responds within one business day
Send a message and I will get back to you within one business day. You are welcome to reach out alone or together — and to share as much or as little as you like at this stage.
All enquiries are completely confidential. I respond within one business day.
I will be in touch within one business day. It takes real courage to make this step.