Sophie Gibbons

I am a BACP-registered and accredited psychotherapist with over 20 years’ clinical experience, offering depth-based Gestalt psychotherapy for adults. My work is grounded in a trauma-informed, relational approach and is particularly focused on complex trauma (CPTSD), dissociation, sexual abuse, and trauma arising from developmental, attachment-based, and organised abuse, including Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, and Organised Abuse (RAMCOA).

I work at a pace that prioritises safety, stability, and choice. Many of the people I support experience dissociation, fragmentation, emotional overwhelm, or long-standing patterns that no longer make sense, often after earlier experiences of abuse, neglect, coercion, or chronic relational harm. I understand these responses as meaningful adaptations to what has been lived through, rather than as pathology to be removed.

My approach is collaborative and carefully paced. I pay close attention to present-moment experience, emotional and relational processes, bodily responses, and dissociative adaptations. This allows us to work with trauma in a way that supports integration and increased awareness, without overwhelming the nervous system. I am particularly attentive to issues of power, control, trust, and consent, which are central when working with complex and organised abuse.

Alongside trauma-focused work, I also support clients with anxiety, depression, emotional regulation difficulties, shame, relationship difficulties, and identity-related distress. I work in an affirming, non-pathologising way and have extensive experience working with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ / queer clients.

I currently offer online therapy.

My practice offers a calm, thoughtful therapeutic space for adults seeking longer-term, depth-based psychotherapy. I specialise in working with survivors of complex trauma, including sexual abuse, dissociative disorders, and experiences of extreme, organised, and ritualised abuse (RAMCOA). Many clients come to therapy having already tried short-term or symptom-focused approaches that did not address the deeper impact of what they have lived through.

Gestalt psychotherapy is a relational and embodied approach that focuses on how past experiences continue to shape present-day feelings, relationships, and patterns of coping. I attend closely to emotional experience, bodily responses, and dissociative processes, and I work with curiosity and respect for the ways clients have survived. Therapy is not about forcing disclosure or reliving trauma, but about developing greater awareness, safety, and choice over time.

I have extensive experience supporting survivors of sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation (CSE), and trafficking, and I regularly work with clients who experience dissociation as part of their trauma response. I am attentive to how identity, difference, power, and marginalisation can shape both psychological distress and access to support, and I work in an affirming way with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ / queer clients.

My practice is online-based, offering flexibility and continuity of care.

I offer a free 30-minute introductory conversation, which takes place online. This is an opportunity for you to get a sense of how I work, ask any questions you may have, and decide whether my approach feels right for you. It is also a chance for me to understand a little about what you are looking for from therapy and to consider whether I am the right therapist to support you.

This introductory session is informal and there is no expectation that you commit to ongoing therapy. You do not need to prepare anything in advance, and there is no assessment or pressure to share more than feels comfortable at this stage. If we decide to work together, we can then discuss practical arrangements, including fees, availability, and next steps.

Taking the first step towards therapy can feel daunting, particularly if you are seeking support for complex or long-standing difficulties. I aim to make this initial contact as straightforward and supportive as possible.