More about Sophie
I have always experienced myself as something of a rebel, on the inside. I am genderqueer and have never felt an easy fit with the labels that were assigned to me: woman, mother, wife. My sense of myself as a person, a creature, a human, has often sat outside society’s definitions. I inhabit the space of in-between and beyond, a living challenge to the cages of binary gender. My early and ongoing experience of not quite belonging has shaped my sensitivity to exclusion, normativity and the longing for spaces where people are met as they are, rather than who they are expected to be.
My childhood boarding school experience shaped me deeply, fostering fierce independence and self-reliance, qualities that have served me well, but not without cost. I am neurodivergent, which brings both profound gifts and some challenges. It allows me to think differently, connect ideas creatively, while also making aspects of everyday life more effortful. Living with this complexity has deepened my compassion for difference and my commitment to building environments that are humane rather than demanding conformity.
In my twenties I trained as a teacher of modern languages, drawn by a love of learning and working with young people. While teaching was deeply rewarding, I became increasingly disillusioned with an education system that often constrained curiosity, creativity and human potential. Influenced by John Holt’s How Children Fail and the work of Sir Ken Robinson, I made the unconventional decision to home educate our children, trusting in their innate capacity to learn and committing myself to education rooted in freedom, relationship and respect.
Alongside this, I co-founded Beyond Chocolate with my sister, a project that grew into twenty years of work supporting women to reclaim trust in their bodies and reject diet and wellness culture. Through workshops, writing and community-building, we challenged narratives of control, shame and worth, creating spaces for autonomy, compassion and collective empowerment.
To support this work, I trained as a psychotherapist and discovered a deep love for sitting with people in their complexity. I liked who I became when I offered my full attention, when I learned to truly listen and follow.
My commitment to leadership rooted in integrity led me to become a Director of Women in Power, where I learned how to lead from the heart. Together with an extraordinary group of women, in 2021 we facilitated an initiation programme with a cohort made up of 50% women from the Global Majority and 50% women racialised as white. The depth, honesty and power of that experience profoundly shaped my thinking about learning, justice and belonging.
All of these life experiences came together in the founding of HOMA: I waned to be part of creating a social justice–led, humanistic psychotherapy training for people who are often excluded by or tired of traditional academic pathways and who want to bring deep relational capacity, lived experience and commitment to their learning. HOMA is rigorous, non-academic and rooted in lifelong learning and shared responsibility. It is more than a training for me, it is a living community, and in many ways, a family.
Psychotherapy Qualifications and Training
I trained as a Humanistic Psychotherapist at Spectrum, the then largest centre and practice for Humanistic Psychology in Europe and a UKCP accredited organisation. I have been awarded a Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling. I am an accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Accred).
-
BACP Accreditation
-
Spectrum Diploma in Humanistic Psychology
-
Spectrum Postgraduate Course in Psychotherapy
-
16 years of Post Graduate Continuation Course in Psychotherapy (2006-21)
-
OCR Certificate in Counselling Skills
-
Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Sexuality
-
Anger in the Therapy Room
-
Working with Groups
-
A Group about Groups
-
The Heart of Parenting
-
Action Techniques
-
Childhood Sexual Abuse
-
Developing Clinical Skills
-
Re-parenting
-
Gestalt – Theory and Practice
-
Professional Seminars
-
Psychotherapy Online & Telephone
-
Brief Therapy
-
Ins and Outs of Anger
-
Relationship Making
-
PVRL
Other Training and Qualifications
I am currently training with Pink Therapy - Certificate of Study: Essentials in GSRD Therapy for Cis Het Clinicians
I have comepleted Lewis Deep Democarcy - Levels 1, 2 & 3
I have participated in a National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) Workshop on Diversity and Inclusion.
I have completed the Shadow Work - Basic Facilitator Training (BFT). Shadow Work is a facilitated processes that allows individuals to explore and change behaviour patterns. Based on Cliff Barry's synthesis of ancient and modern tools, Shadow Work uses a four-directional map of the mind to identify and work through our shadows.
I have trained to lead The Heart of Parenting courses and ongoing parenting groups.
I have trained as a Walk Leader with Natural England. I have a PGCE in Education and have completed 2 years of a Masters in Education with the Open University.