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Dr Sade Aisha Sowemimo
A thoughtful, supportive space to explore difficult experiences, relationships and long-standing emotional patterns that may be keeping you stuck in the past, feeling anxious, depressed or overwhelmed.
A place to practise courage, be seen and keep showing up for yourself so life can begin to feel more manageable, meaningful and aligned with who you are.
Common reasons people seek therapy
Support for people experiencing long-standing emotional difficulties, trauma-related distress, painful relationship patterns, overwhelming emotions, or a sense of feeling stuck.
Trauma & PTSD
Including developmental trauma, childhood adversity, and the long-term impact of difficult experiences.
Anxiety & Persistent Worry
Feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or stuck in cycles of worry and overthinking.
Depression & Low Mood
Loss of motivation, emotional heaviness, and feeling disconnected from yourself or others.
Unshared and Unusual Experiences
Experiences that feel very real but that can feel frightening or difficult to make sense of, such as voice hearing experiences or strongly held beliefs that affect your wellbeing.
Difficult Relationship Patterns
Repeated patterns in relationships, attachment difficulties, fear of rejection, or emotional loneliness.
Intrusive Thoughts & Overthinking
Distressing thoughts, rumination, mental loops, or feeling unable to switch off your mind.
Shame, Self-Criticism & Perfectionism
Harsh inner criticism, high standards, and difficulty feeling good enough.
Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Intense emotions, feeling easily overwhelmed, or struggling to settle your nervous system.
Neurodiversity
Support for autistic and ADHD individuals, understanding your experiences and adapting therapy to fit how your mind works.
Identity & Life Transitions
Periods of change, loss, uncertainty, or questioning who you are and what matters to you.
Complex or Long-Standing Difficulties
When things have felt stuck for a long time, or previous therapy has not helped in the way you hoped.
A thoughtful, specialist way of working
My work is grounded in a warm, collaborative and formulation-led approach, with a focus on helping people make sense of long-standing patterns and move towards meaningful, sustainable change.
Experience and background
I am a HCPC-registered psychologist and accredited Cognitive Analytic Therapist with over 10 years’ experience working across forensic, NHS and specialist mental health services.
My clinical work often focuses on supporting people who feel stuck in repeating patterns in relationships, sense of self or emotional life.
I often work with people who have tried therapy before or managed things alone but still feel stuck, anxious or overwhelmed.
Alongside therapy, I also undertake specialist psychological assessments.
Therapeutic models and specialist training
Training across Cognitive Analytic Therapy, EMDR, trauma-focused CBT approaches, RO-DBT and Schema Therapy, alongside extensive experience in complex assessment and formulation.
What is therapy
Therapy is a space to pause and make sense of the patterns in your life, with time to understand what has shaped them and what might begin to change.
Understanding patterns and creating change
Many people come to therapy because they feel stuck — perhaps in difficult relationships, overwhelming emotions, intrusive thoughts, or ways of coping that no longer seem to help.
Therapy offers time and space to understand how these patterns developed and how they continue to shape your experiences today.
Together we begin by developing a shared understanding of what is happening for you. This often involves exploring how earlier experiences, relationships and ways of coping may have influenced the patterns you find yourself in now.
Once we understand these patterns more clearly, therapy focuses on helping you find new ways of responding to them.
Whether you are coming to therapy for the first time or returning after trying it before, we can take time to understand what you need and what might help most. Together we will work out an approach that fits you.
Therapy is guided by evidence-based psychological understanding, while remaining flexible enough to fit your individual needs, goals and pace. The therapeutic relationship is central to this process. A thoughtful, respectful and collaborative relationship creates the conditions where difficult experiences can be explored safely and meaningful change can begin.
Therapy can sometimes involve looking at difficult experiences or patterns that have been in place for a long time. While this work is not always easy, it happens within a supportive relationship where you are not facing those challenges alone.
Principles that guide my work
It takes courage to come to therapy. Talking honestly about painful experiences and patterns in our lives is not easy. Choosing to reflect in this way deserves respect.
Your experiences make sense in the context of your life. Many patterns that feel confusing or painful today often began as ways of coping, adapting, or surviving difficult circumstances.
Our minds and nervous systems adapt to experience. Trauma and prolonged stress can affect how the body responds to the world, sometimes leaving people feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or shut down even when the danger has passed.
People are not problems to be fixed. What we struggle with often reflects patterns shaped by earlier relationships, environments and experiences. The problem is the problem, you are not the problem. Therapy is about understanding these patterns rather than judging them, and gradually finding ways to live that feel more aligned with your authentic self.
Self-compassion is an important part of change. Many people live with a very harsh inner critic. Learning to respond to yourself with greater understanding and kindness can be a powerful part of the therapeutic process and change outside of therapy.
Real change often begins with recognising patterns. When we start to see how past experiences shape present reactions — in relationships, emotions and coping strategies — new choices and possibilities can begin to emerge.
Growth is rarely linear. Meaningful change often involves reflection, setbacks and learning. This is a normal and expected part of the process.
Ways of working together
A range of structured and flexible ways of working, depending on what you’re looking for.
A thoughtful, collaborative space to explore difficult experiences, relationships and long-standing emotional patterns.
The focus is on developing a shared understanding of what may be maintaining current difficulties, and working towards meaningful, sustainable change.
Includes extended session and follow-up.
You might find yourself asking:
• Why do I keep ending up in the same situations at work?
• Why do certain roles or relationships feel difficult or draining?
• Why does this keep happening, even when I try to change it?
A time-limited, formulation-based consultation designed to help you understand recurring patterns in your professional role.
This is not ongoing therapy, but a structured piece of work aimed at developing a clear and coherent understanding of these dynamics.
Ongoing or one-off clinical supervision for psychologists and therapists working with complex presentations.
This can provide a reflective space to think in depth about clinical work, or a more focused consultation on a specific case, question or dilemma.
Professionals can view further details via my Supervisor Platform profile →
A focused consultation offering an experienced psychological perspective on a specific piece of work or situation.
Suited to clinicians, teams or organisations seeking clarity, direction or a second opinion where there is complexity, uncertainty or risk.
This may involve developing a clearer psychological understanding, supporting decision-making, or offering a different perspective on complex situations.
Typically offered as a standalone consultation.
Practical information about starting therapy
This section outlines what the first session involves, how therapy is usually arranged, and some of the practical information that can be helpful to know before getting in touch.
The first session
Our first meeting is an opportunity to talk about what has brought you to therapy and what you hope might change. We will begin to understand your experiences, patterns and goals, and think together about how therapy might help.
You are also able to ask any questions about the process. Many people feel nervous before the first session — that is completely normal.
Session length, format and frequency
Sessions are typically 50 minutes and are usually held weekly. Sessions take place online via a secure video platform.
Regular sessions allow us to build a shared understanding of what is happening in your life and work steadily towards meaningful change.
Occasionally the frequency of sessions may be adjusted depending on your needs.
Payment and insurance
Sessions are £140 per session.
Payment is required in advance of each session to confirm your appointment.
I accept self-funding clients and some private insurance providers. If you plan to use insurance, please check your policy and obtain authorisation before beginning therapy.
Cancellations and fit
If you need to cancel or rearrange a session, please provide at least 48 hours’ notice. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice are usually charged in full.
This policy helps protect time that has been set aside for you. However, I understand unexpected situations can arise and, where possible, I will try to offer an alternative appointment within the same week if availability allows.
A strong therapeutic relationship is important. If at any point therapy does not feel helpful or you feel we are not the right fit, we can talk openly about this.
Confidentiality and crisis support
Everything discussed in therapy is confidential.
There are a small number of circumstances where confidentiality may need to be broken — for example where there is a serious risk of harm. If this situation arose, we would aim to discuss this openly and collaboratively wherever possible.
Therapy sessions are not designed to provide emergency or crisis support. If you are experiencing an immediate mental health crisis or feel at risk of harming yourself or others, please contact your GP, NHS 111, Samaritans on 116 123, or attend A&E.
Online sessions and professional standards
Sessions are offered online via a secure video platform.
I am a HCPC-registered psychologist and engage in regular clinical supervision and continuing professional development, supporting reflective practice and helping ensure that the therapy I offer remains safe, ethical and effective.
Get in touch
If you would like to enquire about therapy, supervision or consultation, you are very welcome to get in touch. You can use the form below to include a brief outline of what has brought you here, along with any questions you may have.
I aim to respond within 2–3 working days. This form is not monitored for urgent or crisis support.
Common questions
Answers to some of the questions people often have before starting therapy.
I tend to work best with people who are open to reflecting on patterns in their thoughts, emotions, and relationships, particularly where difficulties feel more complex or longstanding, often linked to past experiences or relationship patterns.
My work is focused within clearly defined areas of expertise, and I work deliberately within these areas, thinking carefully about whether I am the right person to help with what you are experiencing.
This is something we would consider together early on, rather than after you have already begun the work. If it seemed that a different type of support would be more appropriate, I would discuss this with you openly and support you in finding the right option.
This varies depending on what you’re looking for. Some people come for a focused piece of work over a number of sessions, while others choose to work together for longer to explore more complex or longstanding patterns.
In the early stages, we take time to understand what has brought you to therapy and what you would like to change. From this, we develop a shared sense of direction and an initial idea of how the work might be structured.
Some approaches I use are more time-focused, while others allow for deeper exploration. We will agree a way of working that feels clear and manageable, and review this together as we go, so that therapy remains purposeful and does not feel open-ended.
I am a Cognitive Analytic Therapist (CAT) and HCPC-registered psychologist, with additional training in trauma-focused, evidence-based approaches including EMDR.
Alongside my core training, I have developed additional expertise across a number of specialist approaches, particularly in working with trauma and more complex presentations.
I specialise in working with difficulties that feel complex, longstanding, or hard to fully make sense of — often where things haven’t shifted despite previous efforts or therapy.
My approach focuses on helping you understand the patterns underlying these difficulties, and using this understanding to guide change. The work is structured enough to give a clear sense of direction, while allowing space to explore things at a deeper level where needed.
HCPC-registered Psychologist & Accredited Cognitive Analytic Therapist