Sophia Madriaga – Integrative Counsellor

Hello, I’m Sophia, an integrative counsellor and coach based in East London, working online across the UK and in person in Hackney.

Life doesn’t always come with a neat explanation for why things feel hard. Sometimes you’re functioning fine on the outside and quietly struggling underneath. Maybe you’re overthinking everything, being much harsher on yourself than you’d ever be with someone else, or just feeling like you’re holding a lot together with less and less left in the tank. You don’t need to have it figured out to start. We can begin wherever you are.

My approach is integrative, which means I don’t follow a single fixed method. I draw on different ways of working depending on what’s most useful for you:

• Space to talk and feel heard, sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed, without an agenda
• Making sense of patterns, understanding why you keep ending up in the same place, in relationships, at work, or with yourself
• Practical, active work, building tools and strategies that actually fit your life, not a textbook version of it
• Coaching alongside counselling, if you’re working toward something specific whether that’s a career shift, a big decision, or getting out of a rut, I can work in a more focused, goal-oriented way too

I’ll always follow your lead on what feels most useful, and that can shift as we go.

Before qualifying as a counsellor, I trained in occupational and organisational psychology, so I have a genuine understanding of workplace pressures, professional identity, and the particular exhaustion that comes from high-functioning, high-expectation environments.

I’m also a pansexual, transgender woman, and I have lived experience of navigating identity, ethical non-monogamous relationships, and community in ways that don’t always fit the mainstream. I work with clients from LGBTQIA+ communities and those in diverse relationship structures including ethical non-monogamy and kink-positive lifestyles. If you’ve ever worried a therapist might not quite get your life, I’d like to think you’d feel that differently here.

My clients are varied. Alongside my work with LGBTQ+ and kink-positive communities, I support people navigating workplace challenges, life transitions, relationship difficulties, and questions about direction and purpose.

• Anxiety, overthinking, or that background hum of stress that never quite switches off
• Burnout, workplace pressure, or a career that no longer feels like it fits
• Low mood, self-esteem, or being much harder on yourself than you’d ever be with anyone else
• Relationships, whether that’s a partnership losing its footing, family dynamics, or navigating ethical non-monogamy, kink, or other relationship structures that don’t fit the mainstream
• Life transitions, big decisions, or just a sense that something needs to change but you’re not sure what
• LGBTQ+ experiences, gender identity, or anything that feels hard to bring to a therapist who might not quite get your life
• Coaching alongside counselling, if you’re working toward something specific whether that’s a career shift, a big decision, or finding your footing after a period of being stuck

I offer a free 25-minute introductory session, no commitment required. It’s a chance to ask questions, get a feel for how I work, and see whether working together feels right.

• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling (BPS accredited)
• MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology
• Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Coaching
• Registered Member, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)
• Graduate Member, British Psychological Society (GMBPsS)
• Registered qualified Test User – BPS Accredited, Psychometric testing both personality and ability (RQTU)

• Free 25-minute introductory session
• £55 per session (online)
• £65 per session (in person, East London)
• Reduced rates available for students and those on a low income

CONTACT ME:

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