Are you a therapist, counsellor or psychologist looking for supportive and insightful supervision to deepen your practice and boost your confidence?

I am an experienced Specialist Trauma Therapist and Integrative Psychotherapist, offering supervision for therapists at all stages of their journey, whether you’re just starting out or seeking fresh perspective and growth in your established practice.

Interested in becoming more trauma-informed?

If you’re a therapist wanting to integrate more trauma-informed principles into your practice, supervision with me can support you in:

• Understanding the neurobiology of trauma
• Working safely with dysregulation and dissociation
• Developing a more attuned, body-aware presence
• Creating safety and trust in therapeutic relationships
• Navigating complex trauma presentations with confidence and compassion
• Focusing on your own somatic and attachment responses during trauma work, reflecting on how your body and nervous system react, as well as relational patterns that arise. This awareness will support your self-regulation, boundary-setting, and self-compassion, helping you grow both personally and professionally as a trauma-informed therapist.

Whether trauma is your niche or just a growing part of your caseload, I can help you work more effectively, ethically, and compassionately with these clients.

How will my trauma-informed supervision differ from ‘generic’ supervision?

It will be highly focused on Trauma- and Attachment-Informed self-awareness. In our supervision, we will intentionally explore your experience as a therapist working with trauma through a trauma- and attachment-informed lens. This means paying attention not only to the client work and therapeutic relationship but also to your own somatic responses, nervous system regulation, and attachment patterns that come up in the process.

This approach encourages deep self-reflection, helping you connect with how your body holds past pain and triggers. While it may not focus directly on client interventions, this work supports you by increasing your awareness of how your own experiences influence your practice. This awareness enriches your ability to hold space for clients compassionately, while also maintaining healthy boundaries and practicing self-care as you manage your own responses.

Together, we will reflect on how you feel physically and emotionally before, during, and after sessions, noticing shifts or activation, and what your nervous system might be telling you. We will also look at how client dynamics may trigger familiar attachment patterns, and explore moments where boundaries, self-compassion, or internal dialogue may be tested.

By creating a space for this embodied and relational awareness, supervision becomes a place not just for clinical development but for your personal growth as a therapist. This process builds resilience, helps you stay regulated, and deepens your ability to be present and attuned with your clients, while also caring for yourself along the way.

Our work together will focus on cultivating curiosity and kindness toward your own experiences, noticing patterns, and integrating grounding and regulation strategies tailored to your needs, so you can continue to grow confidently and effectively.

The structure of our work together

With regards to the structure, I use the 7-eyed model as a loose framework, but through a trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive, and somatic lens. So we will look at what is happening in the work between you and your client, but also what is coming up in you, in your body, and in the space between the client-therapist dynamic. It is very relational and reflective, rather than rigid single-modality approach. I usually encourage supervisees to take the lead in terms of what they would like to bring to each session, as I believe supervision should meet you where you are at.

ABOUT ME

SUPERVISION BACKGROUND

In January 2025, I completed my BPS-Approved Clinical Supervision training (Accreditation Level 1) and am now accepting new supervisees, building on my previous experience providing informal supervision to colleagues.

My approach is trauma-informed, predominantly utilising the 7-Eyed Model of Supervision to provide a comprehensive and reflective space for your practice. I offer clinical supervision for mental health professionals who provide individual therapy, couple therapy, family therapy, and systemic therapy. My supervision also extends to therapists working with children and young people. My (pending) registration includes the NCPS’s specialist CYPT (Children and Young People’s Therapy) Accredited Register. This is a dedicated credential for working with children and young people, separate from their general register. I work as an Integrative Therapist.

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TRAUMA-SPECIALISED CPD

I regularly engage in trauma-specialised continued professional development to ensure my clinical practice remains trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive. My dedication to providing trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive clinical practice is demonstrated through my consistent engagement in trauma-specialised continued professional development. I am committed to keeping up-to-date with the latest research, interventions, and advancements in trauma and attachment by attending:

Monthly, 1.5-hour individual supervision with my supervisor, an experienced Traumatologist and EMDR Therapist who holds a Level 7 Diploma in Complex Trauma and PTSD.

A 1.5-hour monthly practice group for CPTSD Interventions, provided by the Complex Trauma Institute, to hone trauma-specialised intervention skills.

A 1.5-hour monthly trauma-specialised peer group supervision session, also with the Complex Trauma Institute, where we utilise the Reflective Team Model.

An annual conference focused on Trauma, Complex Trauma, and/or Trauma and Attachment.

Somatic-informed Trauma Therapy training/CPD as follows:

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy – Level 1

1-year training of Compassionate Inquiry with Gabor Maté

Dan Siegel’s Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB)

The Polyvagal Certificate Course via Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Institute (will be completed in April 2026)

Babette Rothschild’s Somatic Trauma Therapy (will be completed in Oct 2026)

Somatic and Parts work:

2-hour monthly supervision with Janina Fisher as part of her Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) – TIST Level 1 and 2 (completing Level 2 in December 2025)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

With 20 years of post-qualification experience in mental health, I have worked extensively across both NHS and private sectors, providing expert clinical care and leadership in complex cases. My career in mental health began as a Residential Youth Worker at Netpex Care Home, working with young people aged 16–18 with complex needs. I was also the Lead Clinician for Mums In Need, a domestic abuse charity dedicated to supporting mothers escaping emotional and psychological abuse.

For five years, I worked as a Specialist Trauma and Attachment Therapist at Chrysalis Associates, supporting looked-after children, adoptive, and foster families. During this time, I also ran a part-time private practice, which I’ve been operating full-time since 2020. My private practice, Stepping Stones Psychology, specialises in trauma and attachment issues, including PTSD and complex PTSD, though my experience covers a broad range of concerns.

I have undertaken professional clinical training to doctoral level through a British Psychological Society (BPS)-accredited Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. This provided extensive training across major therapeutic models. Through my doctorate placements in NHS adult psychology departments and CAMHS, I gained comprehensive experience working with adults, couples, young people, children, and families. This is a client group I have continued to support.

I successfully completed all taught components and the full clinical training required by the doctorate, including extensive supervised placements across various psychological settings. This means my clinical and academic training is fully aligned with doctoral-level standards. However, while I completed doctorate education where I met all the clinical and academic requirements, I did not complete the thesis component of the program and therefore was not awarded the doctoral degree. That said, my practice remains firmly aligned with doctoral-level standards.

I am a Full Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), a recognition of completing accredited postgraduate training and meeting the standards for professional practice in psychology. This membership reflects my commitment to evidence-based, ethical practice and ongoing professional development. It also reflects my adherence to the Society’s ethical and professional standards.

I also hold an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma (Master’s level) in Applied Psychology and Counselling, further supporting my applied psychological expertise and therapeutic work.

In addition to my formal qualifications, I have completed a wide range of specialised trauma therapy training, including Theraplay®, Diadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), accredited EMDR (levels 1–3), and accredited EMDR with Children and Adolescents (levels 1 and 2). I have also trained in various somatic approaches to trauma therapy as outlined above. I continue to attend ongoing trauma-focused professional development to further enhance my expertise.

Driven by a passion for supporting children and early intervention, my doctoral research focused on how adults cope with complex childhood trauma such as abuse and neglect. I explored the strengths and challenges that arise from these experiences, emphasising protective factors that can help trauma survivors better manage trauma. It is a field of scientific research I am very passionate about and I intend to carry out further research in this area in the future. 

In addition to FMBPsS, I also hold accredited membership with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). I am also part of several BPS faculties and divisions, keeping me connected to the latest research and best practices in trauma, developmental psychology, and mental health. These memberships ensure my work is highly evidence-based and ethical.

MY PERSONAL BACKGROUND

As a therapist of colour from a minority Asian background, I bring a unique lived experience to my work. This includes fleeing the Sri Lankan civil war as a child and living as a refugee in Denmark, which has given me first-hand experience with generational trauma and cross-cultural challenges. I am also a mother to an adult son who is neurodivergent and has other hidden disabilities/additional needs. In my mid-40s, I also navigate chronic health conditions. These personal experiences further inform my empathetic and nuanced approach to supervision, especially being extra mindful and sensitive when working with supervisees who have additional needs or traumas.

BOOKING YOUR SUPERVISION

If you’re looking for a supervisor who blends depth, warmth, and clinical insight , I would love to connect.

• Available for supervision, both online and in person
• Flexible daytime and limited evening slots
• Currently, my supervision fees are £45 for 50 minutes and £85 for 90 minutes.

If you are looking to book straight away, please follow this link. It should take you to the terms and conditions, and once you have signed that, it should redirect you to my booking platform.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions before committing. You can contact me via contact@steppingstonespsychology.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,             

Sharmi