Sandy Reay

I am an integrative psychotherapist and counsellor working with children, adolescents and adults. My practice is rooted in the belief that therapeutic change emerges through relationship, through feeling emotionally safe enough to be seen, understood and met with attunement.

I work particularly with neurodivergent children and young people, looked after children, developmental trauma, attachment difficulties and communication beyond words. Alongside private practice, I work within schools, residential settings and multi-agency services, supporting children, families and the wider team around the child.

My approach integrates psychodynamic and attachment-based understanding with creative, experiential and nervous-system-informed ways of working. Depending on the needs of the individual, this may include play, sensory materials, metaphor, emotional regulation work and equine-assisted therapeutic practice.

Before training as a psychotherapist, I spent over two decades within the advertising and film industry, leading creative teams and working closely with narrative, emotion and human communication. I later transitioned into child services and psychotherapy, where my frontline experience within SEND, residential care and school settings deepened my understanding of developmental trauma, neurodiversity and relational work.

I am particularly interested in how we communicate through behaviour, movement, silence, sensory experience and relationship, especially when words feel unavailable, unsafe or insufficient. My work is grounded in curiosity, presence and the belief that meaningful therapeutic change often begins beyond words.

I offer both counselling and psychotherapy for children, adolescents and adults. Counselling often focuses on a particular difficulty or life challenge and is usually shorter term, whilst psychotherapy offers the opportunity to explore the deeper patterns that shape how we relate to ourselves, others and the world, often through longer-term work. Together, we decide which approach best meets your needs.

Some people arrive with clear difficulties they would like support with. Others may struggle to put their experience into words. In my work, I recognise that communication can emerge in many different forms: through conversation, play, behaviour, movement, sensory experience, silence and relationship.

My approach is integrative, meaning I draw from different therapeutic approaches depending on the needs of the individual. This may include psychodynamic psychotherapy, attachment theory, neuroscience, creative and experiential work, emotional regulation, and embodied, nervous-system-informed approaches.

I work particularly with:

Neurodivergent children and young people

Looked after children and those with experiences of developmental trauma or attachment disruption

Children and adolescents experiencing emotional, sensory or relational difficulties

Adults seeking reflective, relational therapeutic support

Families and carers navigating complex emotional and developmental needs

Sessions are tailored to the individual and may include:

Talking therapy

Play and creative exploration

Art, metaphor and storytelling

Sensory materials and embodied awareness

Emotional regulation work

Equine-assisted therapeutic practice

Relational and attachment-focused exploration

Choosing the right therapist is an important decision. If you're unsure what qualifications or professional registrations to look for, you can read more in ‘Choosing a Therapist’ section.

Your first session is an opportunity for us to meet, explore what brings you or your child to therapy, and see how it feels to work together. We’ll talk about your hopes, needs, and any questions you may have, as well as discuss practical details like session structure and frequency.