Sonya Cavanough

Sonya Cavanough is an ACA counsellor with ten years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety and relationship difficulties. She also supports people working through trauma, grief and low self-esteem. Sonya aims to make the first step feel manageable and non-threatening for anyone who reaches out.

She adapts conversations and plans to fit each person’s situation. Sessions focus on listening, practical problem-solving and building skills that make daily life easier. Sonya emphasises respectful, sensitive and compassionate care in every meeting.

Sonya has worked with couples on communication and infidelity concerns, using approaches that encourage clearer conversation and emotional connection. She also addresses attachment and abandonment issues that can shape how people relate to others.

Her approach draws on familiar tools from cognitive behavioural therapy to help challenge unhelpful thinking and from emotionally-focused and attachment-based work to strengthen relationships. The Gottman Method informs her work with couples who want practical ways to improve interaction.

Clients can expect straightforward sessions that balance emotional support with small, achievable steps. Sonya helps people set goals and track progress so therapy feels relevant and useful. She recognises that starting therapy takes courage and aims to make that courage worthwhile.

How Sonya’s approaches translate to online counselling

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current patterns. It helps people understand fears around closeness and distance, and can improve how they relate to partners or friends.

Client-centred therapy puts the person's experience at the centre. It offers a non-judgemental space where the therapist listens, reflects and helps people find their own solutions to difficult problems.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thoughts and habits. It offers concrete tools to reduce anxiety, manage panic and address self-critical thinking that affects mood and behaviour.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and practical needs, and then suggest a mix of methods. Clients and therapist decide collaboratively which strategies to try and adjust them as needed.

If you are considering online sessions, please confirm current session options before booking. The practical benefits can include easier fitting of sessions into busy schedules, shorter check-ins by phone when that suits, and the ability to attend without travel. Discussing format and timing with the therapist helps match sessions to everyday life and responsibilities.