A young woman with long brown hair and green eyes smiling at the camera.

Dr Sarah Quinley (she/her)

I grew up in the Bay Area of California, surrounded by many cultures, languages, and ways of living. Early on, this shaped my curiosity about identity, belonging, and the human experience.

That curiosity led me to study the social sciences and humanities, to train as a psychotherapist at the University of Edinburgh, and eventually to live and work in Spain. Living between cultures for over a decade — as a queer, neurodivergent immigrant within an intercultural family — has shown me how deeply culture and context shape our inner lives.

This lived experience informs how I understand therapy. Rather than seeking the “right” way to be, I see therapy as a process of learning to belong to yourself. My role is to help you slow down, tune in, and make sense of what is emerging, so that your voice can become something you trust, rather than something you override or doubt. In doing so, we cultivate an inner sense of home where you can be met with care, understood in context, and guided by what feels true and meaningful to you.

“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 tool for healing, explored through creative practices. That research shaped not only how I understand voice, but how I work with people. Over time, I came to understand voice less as a technique and more as a way of listening — to what is embodied, realtional, and alive within us.

    I carry this into my practice through an emphasis on collaboration, attunement, and creativity. Therapy, for me, is not something done to you, but something we build together — by paying close attention to felt experience, emotional truth, and the subtle ways meaning emerges when we slow down.

    Finding your true voice is not about confidence or saying the right things. It is about learning to stay with yourself, to notice what you feel, and to trust what comes from that place — even when it’s uncertain, unfinished, or still finding its shape.

    • 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. For the past six years, I have worked exclusively in private practice, maintaining a full and diverse caseload.

    The people I have worked with come from many different countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Ireland, India, Poland, Italy, Latvia, and South Africa. They present with a wide range of concerns, including 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, intimacy, and infidelity. I also support clients who are leaving or recovering from abusive or emotionally manipulative relationships. (A fuller list of themes I work with can be found in the dropdown menu.)

  • 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 shape the work around who you are, what you bring, and what feels most helpful to you. You can read more on my approach here.

  • I am registered with The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP 377377), meaning that I have been approved for gaining appropriate training and experience. My work is deeply grounded in the ethics of care, respect, safety, and confidentiality, which is embedded within the code of ethics and conduct of the BACP. My practice is also insured and regularly supervised per the BACP requirements, so you can be confident about the help I provide.