Sonia Dugay, BACP

Sonia Dugay is a registered counsellor based in the south of the United Kingdom who brings nine years of experience to her practice. She has spent time working in a support centre for survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and this background has informed much of her clinical focus. Over the years she has supported people facing anxiety, anger management difficulties, low self-esteem, intimacy challenges, eating disorders, self-harm and relationship problems, often working with complex emotional responses that follow traumatic experiences.

More recently Sonia has been working in private practice, including during the period of lockdown when many people encountered new or intensified mental health concerns. She has worked with young adults dealing with loneliness, anxiety and career transitions, as well as people in midlife who are negotiating relationship breakdowns, low confidence or changing roles. She has also provided counselling for people processing DNA surprises and the emotional repercussions those discoveries can bring.

Sonia’s therapeutic stance is rooted in a person-centred way of working that prioritises listening and helping clients find their own answers. She also uses psychodynamic ideas to explore how earlier life experiences may continue to influence present feelings and behaviour. She is a BACP member - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and offers a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can speak openly and begin to move forward. She believes in the mental health benefits of movement and often recommends simple activities such as a brisk walk or a dance class. Raised in a broadly Christian background, Sonia is open to understanding different cultures and faiths and describes herself as friendly, warm and interested in others. She looks forward to meeting new clients.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Sonia works with several established approaches to help people address emotional and relational difficulties. Client-Centered (person-centred) therapy focuses on listening, empathy and supporting the client to find their own solutions; it is often helpful for low self-esteem, life transitions and relationship concerns. Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences and early relationships can shape current patterns of feeling and behaviour, offering a way to understand deeper roots of recurring difficulties. Trauma-Focused therapy attends specifically to the impact of traumatic events and helps people process trauma-related symptoms and regain a sense of safety and agency.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Sonia approaches this collaboratively. She will work with clients to discuss goals, preferences and the issues they are bringing to therapy, and adapt methods as the work unfolds so the approach fits the person rather than the other way around.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for people with busy lives or limited local options. Sonia provides sessions by video call, phone, live chat and text-based messaging, making it possible to access support from home or while travelling. These options allow appointments to fit around work, family and other commitments and can make regular therapy more achievable for a wider range of clients.