I'm back

Hi, I am Sophie Marie and I am the owner of Sophie Marie Counselling. For anyone that is not familiar with my work, I am an integrated counsellor and I work with adults, teenagers and children aged five upwards. My practice was previously called Be True Be you however during Covid I made a decision to stop counselling and close my practice. The world had changed so much and on top of all my other responsibilities I had now like a lot of parents become a home school teacher. This was not my choice. New ways of living had been thrust upon us. Although I rose to the challenge, it was hard. I had also volunteered at a local befriending community and two sessions in I realised I had to stop. I had to reflect myself and ask myself "who is supporting you?" The answer was not a pretty one. On a phone call to my mum I remember breaking down crying saying "I don't want to do this anymore". In that moment I had decided that I did not want to be a counsellor anymore. Fast forward to January 2022 and my practice was closed.

The reason I am sharing this with you is to be open about my break from counselling and how I have got to this point in my journey. The following year I planned to be living a more creative life, learning how to sew amongst other things. Whilst walking through the park one day, I said to myself "I am going to set up a vintage shop online". I had no idea where this came from, however I have always had a love of vintage and had in recent years become a charity shop addict so this was clearly the plan the universe had for me. From that moment I started sourcing pieces to sell. I source the clothes from across the UK, launder and iron them and do full measurements. I then either model the item myself or display the piece on my mannequin Alina (named after my mum). I photograph the pieces and then list them across various platforms. I plan to set up my own shop website soon as I love to challenge myself, learn new skills and this will enable me to be more in control of my own creative process. In the beginning, I am glad I used the selling platforms as I have learnt a lot since then. My confidence in my own abilities has increased and I have received a lot of positive feedback from my customers. I continue to run my online vintage and preloved shop today Sophie Marie Vintage is here to stay.

2022 was a very difficult year. I was supporting many members of my family with both physical and mental health which took a lot out of them and myself. I lost a part of myself which forced me into a period of rest and reflection. I focused on myself, where I was and what I wanted to do. After looking at various job roles and aspects of my personality I started to think about counselling again. Everything I did brought me back, everything I researched ended up with the word counsellor. I started to talk about it again and I realised more and more with each day that my skills are my gift and counselling is my strength. I know I am good at what I do and one of the reasons I feel this is how authentic I am. I do not hide behind a professional facade, I am just me and I believe this is what makes others feel more able to be them. This is the hardest thing to do and having the right person by your side to support you in your journey is paramount. Being able to challenge and help guide people to be open, vulnerable and reach their potential is the greatest gift and I am really looking forward to welcoming you all and working with new people.

We all need time to stop, slow down and reflect. I know I did. I know now that I just needed a break, a rest. There is strength in doing this however sometimes we do not realise it and as such we are thrust into another path or redirected. It is in our darkest moments that we learn to see our beauty, our light. It is this light that helps to light you up and in turn helps to light up the world. I know I am back on my path as it feels right for me and I am excited. You can feel this way too.

If you would like to know more about the counselling services I offer and/or to book a session please call or text me on 07712634475 or leave a message on this site. I look forward to working with you. Sending you peace and light, Sophie Marie