You Listen to Your Child’s Story but Who Listens to Yours?
Support and therapy for adoptive parents - not just the child - because your mental health matters too
I support adoptive parents who are finding adoption harder than they expected and don’t know what to do about it.
You have worked hard to create the family that you have always longed for, but what came as a surprise was that it did not feel like happy ever after.
I help you understand why you are feeling the way that you are — making sense of it without blame or judgment, so you can begin to feel more like yourself again.
This is where your story gets heard too.
Feeling struggle doesn’t mean you are failing
It just means you’re human in an incredibly complex role. Becoming an adoptive parent changes what “normal” looks like, and that’s okay. Adoption training helps, but it can’t fully prepare you for the real, lived experience of adoption.
Finding yourself here now means that you have the self awareness to know you need some support and the courage to find it.
Beneath the Surface - Free resource for adoptive parents
✓ Recognise unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving
✓ Identify one pattern that resonates most
✓ Choose one small thing to do differently
✓ Start to see real change.
“Becoming an adoptive parent can bring more than just positive new experiences — it can also awaken old stories, fears, and challenges you didn’t anticipate.”
- SOPHIE LONGDEN
Hi, I’m Sophie
I’m a therapist for adoptive parents who understands the complexity that adoption brings – because I’m an adoptive parent too.
I know what it's like to try your hardest and still feel like you're getting it wrong. Appearing capable, getting on with the day while underneath managing emotional overload, guilt and feeling the pressure to hold everything together.
I work with caring and capable parents who are working hard to put their child's and their family's needs at the centre, whilst often overlooking their own feelings and needs.
I combine lived experience with evidence based therapy to help you understand why adoption may feel harder than you expected — and why that makes complete sense.
Here, I want you to know that it is okay to say things you may have felt afraid to say about how you feel about yourself, adoption and the life you are now living.
My webinars and articles have been featured by:
How we can work together
Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and EMDR Therapy, I support you in understanding your own story - with compassion - so you can move from stress and struggle to greater self confidence and strength.
The best place to start is here and now.
Resources for learning and growth
Here you’ll find practical tools, reflections, and exercises to help you learn and grow from the inside out. Each resource is designed to build your confidence, strengthen your self-trust and give you a boost of kindness.
