Back to Search Results
Sophie Parry-Williams, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Sophie Parry-Williams

Walthamstow E17
Shortlist Share
Email Therapist
Sophie Parry-Williams, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Sophie Parry-Williams

Walthamstow E17
Email Therapist
Shortlist Share

My Approach

challenges, therapy provides the opportunity to reflect, understand, and move forward with greater clarity.

🧠 My Approach
With over 30 years of experience in mental health, my work is grounded in the belief that relationships shape who we are. I aim to help people find ways of living that feel right for them — as individuals, as partners, and as members of their families and communities.

I offer individual, joint, and family sessions, depending on what feels most helpful for you. You may wish to focus on your relationship with yourself, with your partner, or with your wider family system.

💛 Couples Therapy
Couples therapy supports partners to address conflict, improve communication, and deepen empathy. Often, it is not what we argue about but how we argue that creates distress.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, an attachment‑based approach, helps couples understand their patterns, reconnect, and build healthier ways of relating.

Whether you are navigating communication difficulties, trust issues, or other relational challenges, couples therapy can offer insight, tools, and a renewed sense of connection.

Learn more about couples therapy.

🌙 Supporting Women Through Perimenopause
I work with women experiencing the profound transition of perimenopause, recognising it as a deeply personal and relational journey that can affect identity, intimacy, and emotional wellbeing. I also support couples who wish to strengthen their relationship during this stage of life.

Explore menopause support.

🌱 Children, Young People & Families
Having spent most of my career in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, I have extensive experience supporting teenagers and their families. I hold a PG Diploma in Evidence‑Based Psychological Treatment for children and young people and provide CBT for anxiety disorders and depression.

I understand how distressing it can be for parents to see their teenager struggle. To support this, a fellow family therapist and I developed Emotionally Supportive Parenting, a programme designed to help parents feel more confident and connected during challenging times.

Learn more about support for young people or parenting support.

🌳 Nature‑Based Therapy
I also offer eco‑therapy — sessions held outdoors, drawing on the growing evidence for the healing power of nature. Walk‑and‑talk therapy can be grounding, spacious, and restorative. My practice in this area is informed by Buddhist principles.

🌼 What I Can Help With
Anxiety and depression in children and young people, including self‑harm and eating disorders

Couple and relationship difficulties

Parenting challenges across all age groups

Divorce, separation, step‑parenting and lone parenting

Stress and its impact on relationships

Life‑cycle transitions, including menopause

📞 Getting Started
Reaching out for therapy is a significant and courageous step. I aim to respond to all enquiries within 24–48 hours. I offer sessions online, by phone, and face‑to‑face.

If you would like to explore working together, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. After an initial conversation, there is no obligation to continue.

About Me

Just as our physical health sometimes needs professional care, there are moments when our emotional wellbeing benefits from specialist support too.

Therapy offers a safe, confidential space to talk about your life and anything that feels confusing, painful, or difficult to navigate. Whether the issue has roots in your past or arises from a current situation, therapy provides the chance to speak with someone trained to listen closely and help you reflect on your choices, relationships, dilemmas, history, and hopes for the future.

With 30 years of therapeutic experience, my aim is to support people in finding ways of living that feel authentic and right for them. — as individuals, as partners, and as members of their families and communities. Although I have worked with a wide range of people, including children, young people, parents, couples, and families, relationships have always been at the heart of my work.

You may wish to focus on your relationship with yourself, your partner, your wider family network or the institutions in which you exist. I offer individual, joint, and family sessions to support whichever direction feels most helpful.

My Qualifications

I specialise in Family & Systemic Psychotherapy. This means I am qualified to deliver psychotherapy to families, couples and individuals.

I also hold a PG Diploma in Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment for children and young people and provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to young people with anxiety disorders and depression.

I am also a course facilitator for the Incredible Years Parenting Programme (for primary aged children) and Non-Violent Resistance Parenting (for secondary aged children whose behaviour is beyond parental control). I am also a qualified Video Interaction Guidance practitioner working with parents and infants.

I have completed an externship and core skills training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples.

All of these therapies or programmes are recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

I work with

  • Children and young people
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Groups
  • Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Often we come into relationships with expectations on how life will be, based on our own family of origin. No two families are the same so it is natural that at least some of our ideas will be different from those of our partners. Holding different opinions in itself is not a problem; disagreement can be a healthy aspect to all relationships. However it can be that the relationship gets strained to the point that it isn't functioning at its best and instead is producing self-reinforcing, unhelpful patterns. Sometimes it is the way that we argue rather than what we argue about (the process rather than the content) that is the problem. Relationship therapy can be helpful in this situation for both individuals and couples, as it looks at what lies behind current difficulties, paying attention to both the past and the present in order to bring about change. Often relationships can experience difficulties because of external factors (extended family, financial struggles, employment, mental health problems). Although therapy cannot change these issues, talking in a neutral space can help couples reach an understanding and find an agreed way forward. I offer an emotionally focused therapeutic approach when working with couples. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) uses attachment theory to understand the negative cycles couples can find themselves in. Meta-analysis reports that 70–73% of couples demonstrate recovery from relationship distress after completing 8–12 sessions of EFT. Menopause I aim to support women and couples navigating the profound transition of perimenopause. My practice is rooted in the belief that perimenopause is not simply a medical event, but a deeply personal and relational journey that can affect identity, intimacy, and emotional wellbeing. With this in mind, I also work with couples seeking to strengthen their relationships during this stage of life. It is my intention to provide a safe, non‑judgmental space where clients can explore the physical, emotional, and psychological changes that accompany this time. I work collaboratively, helping women understand their evolving needs and guiding couples to communicate openly, manage conflict, and rediscover connection. I draw on narrative therapy, mindfulness practices, storytelling and creative practice as well relational therapy to empower clients with practical tools while honouring their unique stories of transition. Whether addressing mood changes, shifts in desire, or the challenges of balancing family and career, I tailor therapy to meet each client where they are. Above all, I see perimenopause and menopause as an opportunity for growth. By fostering resilience, self‑acceptance, and deeper intimacy, I help women and couples embrace this transition with confidence and compassion. My goal is to ensure that clients not only cope with change, but also discover renewed strength and connection in themselves and their relationships.
Family therapy aims to draw on and amplify family strengths to help overcome problems experienced by individual members or the family as a whole. The presenting problem is considered within the wider context of family relationships thereby facilitating a greater understanding of how members function as family unit. This process can improve communication and engender a better understanding of each other. Fundamentally it is all about relationships: relationships between family members as well as their relationship to the problem. If a child in a family starts to develop a problem, it affects everyone else within the family and just as importantly, the family has an impact on the child’s problem. Similarly, if there are difficulties within the couple/parent relationship, this can have consequences for the children in the family. The space that family therapy can provide allows each member to express their opinions, needs and experiences. It emphasises family relationships as an important factor in the psychological health of its members. Family therapy offers family members a safe space to consider and talk about difficult thoughts and feelings together. It also gives them an opportunity to explore each other’s experiences and views, to appreciate each other's needs, and to build on strengths and make useful changes in their relationships and their lives. In family therapy, as well as considering strategies to deal with certain difficulties (and what might get in the way of us implementing such techniques), we look at the relationships within the family. All family members are welcome to attend the sessions. However, in certain sessions, it might be most helpful for only parts of the family to attend (parents on their own or one parent with a child).
Taking the principles of family and systemic psychotherapy - that we are social beings and that our idenity's are shaped by the stories we have about ourselves and others - we would apply them to you as an individual and explore your rich inner world to gain more insight and ultimately discover whether your patterns of behaviour are working for you in your relationships. In individual systemic psychotherapy we would be thinking about your relationship to yourself, to others and to the world around you. For many, systemic therapy provides insights into how patterns established early in life now limit the person's options. It's particularly useful for those who are repressing or denying emotions for fear of appearing selfish or hurting others. For example, if as a child you were given the label of demanding you may have felt uncomfortable asserting your needs and instead may have learned to suppress feelings. As a result, you may find it difficult in adulthood to ask for your needs to be met in a healthy way. As another example, if you were not taught how to manage your anger as a child, you may lash out at loved ones in increasingly destructive ways. Systemic therapy can help you discover the origins of your patterns of behaviour so you are able to manage your emotions and responses in a more constructive way. ​After an initial assessment of 90 minutes, weekly appointments of one hour duration would normally be recommended however, we would work out together what is best for you. Menopause I aim to support women navigating the profound transition of perimenopause and menopause. My practice is rooted in the belief that menopause is not simply a medical event, but a deeply personal and relational journey that can affect identity, intimacy, and emotional wellbeing. With this in mind, I also work with couples seeking to strengthen their relationships during this stage of life.
Sometimes the demands and pressures of raising children can feel overwhelming. Some of the challenges of raising children include attention seeking behaviour, fighting between siblings, lying, not eating, aggressive displays, difficulty in sleeping or lying. All such behaviours can be understood as a communication of some emotional distress. If it feels that some of the pleasures of being a parent have diminished or if you would like a space to reflect on parenting or would welcome some parenting strategies, talking with a professional might be useful. My intention is to help parents better understand complicated feelings (theirs and their children's), improve relationships and learn practical skills so as to feel more confident, content and in control. Often a different approach from a parent is the key to bringing about changes in a child's behaviour. I have devised and run workshops (individual or group) called Emotionally Supportive Parenting. In these interactive psycho-educational sessions we cover four main topics - what are the issues that contribute to poor mental health in adolescence, what happens to you when you meet your child's distress, how to be an emotional coach for your child and boundaries and de-escalation. Often when we feel out of control when dealing with teens, we can become control-ing. This can often lead to further arguments. Having a better understanding of your own emotions and behaviors means that you can be more in control of your own responses. You can only be in control of your behaviour - not other peoples. “The ESP workshop is meant to be a gift for our children, but it was a gift for me too: I have learnt to be closer to my girls, understand their needs, as they are starting to discover who they are and the world around them.” Parent who attended the workshops The practical advice and strategies used are based on research into attachment theory and evidence-based practice to help resolve difficulties. Incredible Years Parenting, Non-Violent Resistance Approach to Parenting and Emotionally Focussed Family Therapy. I can also provide an opportunity to discuss the impact of this situation on you and your other relationships. Because of the nature of such parenting support, I would recommend weekly sessions, giving you the opportunity to try the new techniques and strategies and give feedback on the progress.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Family and Systemic Psychotherapist
  • Family Therapist
  • Systemic Family and Couple Psychotherapist
  • Systemic Psychotherapist

What I can help with

  • Depression
  • Domestic Violence
  • Eating Disorders
  • Gender
  • Mental Health Issues
  • Parents

Types of sessions

  • Face to Face - Long Term
  • Face to Face - Short Term
  • Online Therapy

Walthamstow Office


Walthamstow E17 9PG
UK

View Map

Office

38 Grosvenor Park Road
38 Grosvenor Park Road
e17 9PG
United Kingdom (UK)

  Wheelchair accessible View Map

UKCP College

  • College of Family Couple and Systemic Psychotherapy (CFCSP)

Working with Children

For more information about therapy for children and young people, visit our info page.
Sophie Parry-Williams

Sophie Parry-Williams

Walthamstow E17
Share

Bookmarks My Shortlist

All shortlisted profiles

Find a therapist near you

Search

Contact us

UK Council for Psychotherapy
York House, 221 Pentonville Road,
London N1 9UZ

020 7014 9955

Links

Connect with us

Privacy | Accessibility | Sitemap | © 2025 UK Council for Psychotherapy. All rights reserved | Registered charity no. 1058545 | Company no. 3258939 - Registered in England 

Find a therapist
Our register UKCP Members