Dr Sarah Quinley - Psychotherapist and Relationship Counsellor

My Story

I grew up in the Bay Area of California. Living in one of the most diverse areas of the U.S., I was surrounded from an early age by different cultures, perspectives, and ways of living. I studied the humanities and social sciences as an undergraduate, following my curiosity about people and my appreciation for the many different ways we experience and make sense of the world.

For graduate school, I followed a long-held dream of living abroad and moved to Scotland to complete my doctoral studies in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh. I lived there for nearly six years before moving to Spain, where I now live with my husband and our two children. We are an intercultural family, navigating life across countries.

My Practice

My background and over a decade of experience as a therapist has shaped the way I practice, including my areas of focus and my approach. As a primarily humanistic and relational therapist, I believe in each person’s inherent value and humanity, and see my skills and knowledge as a therapist as tools to support our work together, rather than something that makes me more of an authority on you than you are yourself.

Being a relational therapist means that I’m here to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can be seen and heard on a deep level, rather than pathologised or ‘treated’ a certain way. I believe we are all complex and multifaceted, which is why I tailor my approach to each person and couple. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to therapy.

I don't see you simply as an individual (or couple), but as someone who exists within relationships, systems, cultures, and contexts that shape your experience. I believe in your autonomy, your power, and your unique voice, and I see therapy as a space where you can begin to trust those things more for yourself.

And outside of being a therapist, I’m a singer/songwriter, avid reader of all sorts, sci-fi lover, and mental health nerd — among other things!

“It was when I stopped searching for home within others and lifted the foundations of home within myself that I found there were no roots more intimate than those between a mind and body that have decided to be whole.”

— Rupi Kaur

  • The name True Voice Counselling grew from my doctoral research into voice as a pathway to healing, explored through creative practice. That research shaped not only how I understand voice, but how I sit with people. Over time, I came to experience voice less as a technique and more as a way of listening to what is embodied, relational, and alive within us.

    I carry this into my work through an emphasis on collaboration, attunement, and creativity. Therapy, as I see it, is not something done to you. It is something we shape together. We pay close attention to felt experience, to emotional truth, and to the subtle ways meaning begins to form when we allow ourselves to slow down.

    Finding your true voice isn’t about confidence, performance, or saying the right things. It’s about learning to stay with yourself. To notice what you feel. To become curious about what emerges, even when it feels uncertain, unfinished, or still taking shape.

    Over time, that kind of listening can become steadier. It becomes less about finding an answer “out there” and more about trusting what is already within you.

    • Certificate in Introduction to Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) — Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, 2022

    • Certificate in Transactional Analysis 101 — Physis Scotland, 2021

    • Certificate in Couples Counselling — Relationship Scotland, 2020

    • Professional Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy — University of Edinburgh, 2019 (Merit)

    • Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy — University of Edinburgh, 2016

    • Counselling for Children and Young People (Introductory) — University of Edinburgh, 2015

    • BA in Liberal Studies (Education pathway) — San Jose State University, 2014 (Cum Laude / 2:1 equivalent)

    • Associate Degree (Social Sciences emphasis) — San Jose City College, 2011 (Honours)

  • I have worked as a counsellor and psychotherapist for over a decade.

    In my early career, I worked across community programmes, charities, recovery services, and educational settings, supporting adults, couples, young people, and children. Those years grounded me in the realities of people’s lives — in complexity, resilience, and the many ways distress can take shape.

    For the past six years, I have worked exclusively in private practice, maintaining a full and varied caseload. This has allowed me to deepen my work and to accompany people over longer stretches of time, as change unfolds gradually and in its own way.

    The people I work with come from many different countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Ireland, India, Poland, Italy, Latvia, and South Africa. Many are living between cultures, navigating transitions, or finding themselves in unfamiliar terrain internally or externally.

    Clients bring a wide range of experiences: cross-cultural adjustment, grief and loss, relationship transitions, identity and belonging, parenting and family dynamics, addiction, anxiety, burnout, trauma, neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+ experiences, chronic illness, and relationship difficulties such as communication challenges, intimacy concerns, and infidelity. I also work with those who are leaving, or recovering from, abusive or emotionally manipulative relationships.

    A fuller list of the themes I support can be found in the dropdown menu below.

  • I have experience working with a wide range of issues which I have listed here.

  • I draw from a range of therapeutic traditions, including person-centred, experiential, psychodynamic, systemic, and relational approaches. Rather than applying a fixed method, I allow the work to take shape around your pace, your hopes, and what you find helpful.

    If you’d like to learn more about how I work, you can read more about my approach here.

  • I am registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP 377377), which means my training and experience meet their professional standards.

    My work is grounded in the ethics of care, respect, safety, and confidentiality that guide the BACP’s framework. These aren’t just formal requirements; they shape how I show up in the room — with steadiness, accountability, and thoughtful attention to your wellbeing.

    My practice is fully insured, and I engage in regular professional supervision in line with BACP requirements. This helps ensure that the support I offer remains reflective, ethical, and responsive.