Sometimes you can be managing everything on the outside, going to work, looking after your family, keeping up with school or university, and getting through everyday life, while inside you feel anxious, overwhelmed or simply not quite yourself.
Sophie Gladstein is an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist who works with adults, children and young people at Cherry Tree Therapy Centre in Buckhurst Hill and online. She particularly supports people experiencing anxiety, worry and overwhelm, as well as women navigating pregnancy, motherhood and the postnatal period, and children and teenagers struggling with their emotional wellbeing.
Sophie describes many of the adults she works with as people who are functioning and getting on with life but know that something isn’t quite right. You don’t need to be at breaking point to benefit from counselling. Sometimes having somewhere to slow down, understand what you are feeling and focus entirely on yourself can make things begin to feel more manageable.
You may be dealing with persistent worry, intrusive thoughts, low mood, guilt or a loss of confidence. Perhaps you are constantly overthinking, putting pressure on yourself or feeling that you should be coping better than you are.
Sometimes there is an obvious reason things have become difficult: a bereavement, relationship change, problems at work or school, becoming a parent or another significant life transition. At other times, it can be harder to explain. Life may simply feel more difficult than it used to.
Sophie offers a calm, compassionate space to explore what is happening underneath the overwhelm. Together, you can begin to understand patterns in your thoughts, feelings and responses, develop different ways of coping and find a kinder way of relating to yourself.
Her aim isn’t to tell you how you should feel or what you should do, but to help you gain greater clarity and understanding so that life begins to feel that little bit easier.
Becoming a parent can bring enormous change, yet there can be considerable pressure to experience pregnancy and motherhood in a particular way.
Sophie has a particular interest in maternal and perinatal mental health and supports women through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. She works with experiences including anxiety, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, postnatal anxiety, postnatal OCD, difficult or traumatic birth experiences, feeding-related emotions, loss of identity and the emotional impact of sleep deprivation.
You may love your baby deeply while also feeling exhausted, anxious, frustrated, lonely or unlike yourself. Those feelings can exist alongside one another.
Therapy gives you somewhere to talk honestly about the parts of parenthood that can be difficult to say out loud, without having to protect other people or pretend that everything is fine.
Sophie is also a qualified Baby and Toddler Sleep Consultant, giving her an additional understanding of infant sleep and the emotional impact that prolonged sleep disruption can have on parents and family life. Her therapeutic work looks beyond sleep itself to the whole person, including relationships, identity, anxiety, expectations and emotional wellbeing.
Babies are welcome in sessions. Sophie can provide age-appropriate toys for babies and understands that accessing therapy as a new parent sometimes means bringing your baby with you.
Sophie also works with children and young people, including those experiencing anxiety, school pressures, friendship difficulties, low confidence, emotional overwhelm or periods of significant change.
Children don’t always have the words to explain what is wrong. Difficult feelings can instead appear through behaviour, withdrawal, anxiety around school or separation, friendship problems or difficulties regulating emotions.
Sophie believes that the relationship comes first. She doesn’t expect a child or teenager to arrive at counselling and immediately talk about everything that is troubling them.
Sessions are adapted to the child’s age, personality and way of communicating. For younger children, this may include play, drawing, arts and crafts or movement. With teenagers, Sophie creates a space where they can talk without feeling that another adult is immediately going to judge them, tell them what to do or try to “fix” them.
The aim is for young people to feel listened to and taken seriously while gradually developing the language, confidence and understanding to make sense of what they are experiencing.
Warmth and safety are central to Sophie’s approach.
She understands that coming to counselling for the first time can feel daunting. Clients have told her that they were nervous before starting therapy but quickly found it easier to open up than they expected.
Sophie describes her approach as human rather than clinical. She is fully present during sessions and doesn’t take notes while you are talking. There is room for difficult conversations, but also for humour, honesty and moments of lightness.
Clients often appreciate Sophie’s ability to remember the people, experiences and details that matter to them and to make connections between things discussed across different sessions. She describes this as being a little like a detective, gently bringing different pieces together to help you understand why you may be feeling or responding as you are.
Above all, Sophie wants therapy to be somewhere you can stop performing, striving or trying to be the “perfect” version of yourself and instead explore what actually works for you.
Sophie works integratively, which means she doesn’t expect every client to fit one particular model of therapy.
At the heart of her work is the relationship between therapist and client. From there, she draws on different therapeutic ideas according to your age, circumstances, and what you need.
Sometimes you might explore patterns in your thoughts and behaviours and consider whether there are things you would like to approach differently. At other times, you might look at where particular feelings come from or whether earlier experiences are influencing how you respond to situations today.
There may also be space for practical approaches, such as challenging unhelpful thoughts, developing coping strategies or introducing mindfulness.
And sometimes what is most needed is simply having another person really listen and help you put words around something that has felt confusing or overwhelming.
Sophie holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from a BACP-accredited course and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
She began her therapeutic career while working at Haven House Children’s Hospice, where she supported siblings of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. She later spent eight years working within the Armed Forces, where her role included supporting veterans’ mental health needs.
Her own journey into motherhood, alongside her professional experience supporting children, adults and families, led to a particular interest in maternal mental health and the emotional realities of becoming a parent.
Sophie subsequently trained as a Baby and Toddler Sleep Consultant through The Sleep Consultant Academy. This complements her psychotherapy work by giving her an understanding of both infant sleep and the wider emotional impact that disrupted sleep can have on parents.
Yes. You don’t have to wait until you reach crisis point. Sophie works with many people who are managing everyday life but feel anxious, overwhelmed, stuck or unlike themselves. Counselling can give you an opportunity to understand what is happening before things become harder to manage.
Yes. Babies are very welcome. Sophie understands that finding childcare can make accessing therapy difficult for new parents and has a selection of toys suitable for babies up to around 18 months.
Counselling can provide a confidential place to explore anxiety, intrusive thoughts, guilt, overwhelm and the emotional adjustment to becoming a parent. Sophie has a particular interest in maternal and perinatal mental health, including postnatal anxiety and postnatal OCD. Where additional or specialist support is needed, this can also be discussed with you.
No. Children often communicate in ways other than sitting and talking. Depending on their age and preferences, Sophie may incorporate play, drawing, arts and crafts or movement into sessions. Building trust comes first.
That’s completely okay. Sophie doesn’t expect children or teenagers to immediately explain everything they are feeling. The first part of the work is often simply getting to know one another and creating a relationship in which they feel comfortable enough to communicate at their own pace.
The first session is an opportunity for Sophie to get to know you and understand what has brought you to counselling. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly where to start or tell her everything immediately. You can talk about what feels important and move at a pace that feels manageable.
No. Sophie offers flexibility, so your sessions don’t necessarily need to take place at the same time and on the same day each week.
Yes. Sophie works in person at Cherry Tree Therapy Centre in Buckhurst Hill and also offers online counselling.
Sophie offers 50-minute counselling sessions.
In-person counselling at Buckhurst Hill: £80
Online counselling: £65
A 24-hour cancellation policy applies.
If you would like to work with Sophie, please complete the enquiry form below, and she will be in touch.