Malla Sofia Long

Hi, I’m Malla (she/her),

I help people get through difficult times and find ways to live a better, more satisfying life. As well as depression and anxiety, I work with self-esteem, identity issues, and loss. I offer a culturally sensitive approach to counselling informed by practice, training and lived experience of spending time in a variety of different countries. 

A year of restrictions has changed the way we live. Not being able to see loved ones or trying to navigate relationships over the phone, or even between two countries, can be exhausting. Perhaps the pandemic has brought up issues you were able to ignore in the past, but need dealing with now. 

ABOUT ME

I am a fully qualified person-centred counsellor/psychotherapist, registered with the BACP. I work with an awareness of trauma and my practice is guided by the core principles of the person-centred and humanistic approaches, mindfulness and polyvagal theory. Before training as a counsellor, I worked in the arts, and in dance- and movement therapy. 

Inclusivity is my core value. I welcome GSRD clients, as well as people of all ethnicities to work with me.

HOW I WORK

In counselling we work together by looking at your feelings around current and past events, and your behaviours and thinking patterns that may not be serving you well. It is your space and time to explore these areas, at your pace.

Together we aim to find ways of coping that benefit you in the long term, empower you to take charge of your life and enable you to feel good in your own skin. Unlike a chat with a friend, counselling offers support from a person who is impartial and objective, really giving you a space to explore your situation in depth, at your pace.

During the sessions I listen to you carefully and offer my reflections to make sure I really understand what you are experiencing. You can expect me to be accepting, gentle and compassionate as your therapist.

PRACTICALITIES

All sessions last 50 minutes, unless we have arranged otherwise. The standard fee for each session is £50, with a reduced fee of £40 for students and previous clients from NHS and the SDBLSS. 

I sometimes have availability to offer a limited number of sessions at a reduced fee - please contact me to discuss this.

I currently work entirely online via Zoom and over the telephone. After lockdown restrictions are eased I will be returning partially to face-to-face practice in Newport, Shropshire, as well as continuing with online and telephone clients all over the UK.

INITIAL CONSULTATION

I offer a 15-minute consultation over the phone or via Zoom for you to see if I might be the therapist you want to work with. If you decide to book in a full session, I will then send you details about the practical side of things, so that you know what to expect and can make a fully informed decision.

FIRST SESSION

When we meet for the first session, we start by discussing your situation, your expectations and reasons for seeking counselling in more detail. If you are looking for therapy because of a traumatic event, I will go entirely at your pace, and you will not be expected, or asked, to talk about this event in detail in the first session. 

In the first session we will also briefly look at the therapeutic agreement between us, and I will explain to you the confidential nature of the work.