Meet Sandra Thompson | Professional Hypnotherapist and Wellbeing Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sandra Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sandra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I’m Sandra Thompson, and for most of my career, I was a Civil Servant, working in HR (people development) and as a project manager, roles I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought I’d work at Department for Work and Pensions forever, blissfully unaware and untouched by mental health issues. However, life had other ideas for me and 8 years ago I found myself in the unplanned/unforeseen position of changing careers.

I have 2 adopted children, aged 11 and 16, and even though they came home as babies, they have substantial trauma issues. I’ve spent the past 8 years learning about their extreme and complex difficulties and how to help them. In the process of doing this I was fortunate in having EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) treatment, as I had started to suffer from secondary trauma. At the risk of sounding dramatic, EMDR quite literally saved my life and helped me to deal with the continual challenges faced as an adoptive mam. A friend was suffering considerable difficulties in her life, and I wanted to help her, just as I’d been helped. This is when I made my life changing decision to retrain as a psychotherapist. I trained in (and now provide) Professional Hypnotherapy, NLP, EMDR (including EMDR Flash Technique), IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy), Coaching, and more recently in Mental Health First Aid, Counselling, Menopause Wellbeing and EFT (emotional freedom technique) and Energy Psychology.

I worked harder than ever before, travelling between Newcastle, Sheffield, London, Leicester and Stratford upon Avon, to ensure I was trained by the best. I am a member of the General Hypnotherapy Standards Counsil (GHSC) and IEMT Association. I built my experience working with FACT (Fighting all Cancers Together), an incredible charity providing counselling for children and adults affected by cancer.

Recognising the difficulties of employed work whilst supporting my 2 boys, I took a leap of faith and set up my business, SCT Therapy (With You in Mind) in 2019 and offer therapy services to children, young people, adults, groups, and business. I also offer some voluntary support to other charities, and I’ve recently been formally registered with Armed Forces Covenant and awarded Bronze Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which demonstrates my commitment to supporting the armed forces community. 

I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed work as much as now. Not only am I living proof of how these therapies can be successful, and benefit from the flexibility of being self-employed, but I have the immense pleasure and satisfaction of assisting others to heal and improve their lives.

What should our readers know about your business?
So, welcome to SCT Therapy, where I’m delighted to offer/provide two therapy services:

1. Therapy Service

As a person-centred, integrative therapist, working within the Northeast of England, I have a calm and relaxing therapy room based in Sanctuary House, North Shields (3-4 Upper Norfolk Street, NE30 1PT) and another in Whitley Bay (Firtree Gardens, NE25 8XB). This is where changes are made, and goals are achieved.

I am honoured and committed to help people who face low mood, stress, anxiety, lack of confidence, self-criticism, trauma, grief or addiction, or simply wish to improve/change their life, to find the strength and resilience needed to overcome and get through the challenges life throws our way. Seeing my clients recover, overcome, improve, and reach their goals is job satisfaction at its best.

I specialise in: Trauma, attachment & dissociation; low mood, self-esteem & confidence issues; grief, bereavement & loss; anxiety, stress management, depression & panic attacks; phobias & compulsive disorders; sleep management, performance management & pain management; addiction, smoking cessation, eating disorders & weight management and menopause wellbeing. I provide mental health first aid and deliver wellbeing workshops (including mindfulness & relaxation).

2. Mental Health First Aid Service

As a trained Mental Health First Aid practitioner, I offer a service to support employers looking to embrace providing a positive working environment for their employees.

With a strongly developed knowledge and understanding of how organisation’s run better not only with good leadership, but also with overarching wellbeing strategies in place, my aim is to support the business in establishing and adopting such strategies. Employees will perform and develop better when valued and supported by their employer. It enables them to work in an environment where they can build more positive relationships, cope better with workloads, and work more effectively/productively, developing pride in their work and confidence. Underpinning my service offer is helping organisation’s to realise the following benefits:
1. Better employee morale and engagement
2. A healthier and more inclusive culture
3. Lower sickness absence
4. Improved retention rate

I think we all recognise that being part of a thriving workforce will quickly escalate an organisation to an employer of choice. Employers have a legal and duty of care responsibility to their employees, but the work I do also acts as a reminder to employees of the role they need to play in meeting their own mental health needs. The World Health Organisation say that “work is good for mental health, but a negative working environment can lead to physical and mental health problems”.

Working in association with Kelly Oliver Dougall and Unisus Wellbeing, I’ve recently started to deliver some Lunchtime Learning courses online, including: Improving Mental Health in the Workplace, Secondary Trauma and Burnout at Work, Sleep Management and Menopause Awareness in the Workplace, with further courses in development.

Lessons learned – always network and find the right people to work with; trust your instincts and if you get them wrong, learn from it and move on; stay focused and don’t veer from your goals and aspirations, there’s always a way.

The path leading to my current work has not been easy and continues to be difficult, as my children continue to be affected by early life trauma. “Life isn’t the way it’s meant to be – it is the way it is. It’s the way we cope with it that makes the difference” (Virginia Satir). I am extremely proud of the work I do and humbled at the people who open their soul to me and trust my ability. Mental Health is not a choice. Recovery and hope are choices. I help people to be patient with themselves and others – it takes as long as it takes to recover.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There was a time when my favourite place would have been in Newcastle City Centre, which is central to the Northeast of England region. I would have been found mostly at the Quayside, which has a great (second to none) nightlife.

Now though, I’m way happier in my local town centre of Whitley Bay, a seaside town with the most amazing beaches and views out to sea. The sunrises are nothing short of beautiful (even if it is a little cold). Once of my favourite places is St Mary’s Lighthouse (built in 1897) and Visitor Centre, with regular sighting of seals. Another favourite is The Spanish City, which is the subject of the Dire Straits song, Tunnel of Love and where I spent my childhood when it was a fun fair.

If I was to show my best friend around Whitley Bay, it would go something like this: St Mary’s Lighthouse for the sunrise, Whitley Bay Ice Rink (home of Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey Club) for the polar club, shopping along Park View with a visit to Meander and Elsee Crafts. A walk along Whitley Bay promenade, maybe stopping for a coffee in the Rendezvous cafe (which featured in BBC series Our Friends in the North and Vera). A trip into nearby North Shields to visit my lovely team (Leigh, Ann, Christine, Julia and Jacqui) at Sanctuary House, where I have my therapy room, and we’d have a beauty, nail or holistic therapy treatment. Then it would be time for the piece de resistance, the bars in Monkseaton and along Park View. This would include a visit to see my lovely friends who run the Monkseaton Arms (Leigh and Leanne), then onto our current favourite home from home bar, The Crafty Cold Well Micropub, and then a wander back to Park View for the Square and Compass, Fox and Fitch, Signature (amazing cocktails) and Al Bear. Then back to ours for a nice gin cocktail and a cuddle up with our dogs.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In March this year, I started to work with Joanna Taylor, of Joanna Taylor & Associates, as my clinical supervisor.  Not only is Joanna an incredible psychotherapist, wellbeing coach, clinical supervisor, and role model, she has provided me with sound advice and the tools to develop my ability and knowledge base.  Joanna’s support, encouragement, and sharing of the most wonderful insights has helped me more than I could ever have imagined or wished for.  This has enabled me to build and deliver a successful practice.  My confidence and competence have soared, and I’ve learned so much about myself along the way, overcoming difficulties (both personal and in business) and avoiding potential burnouts with Joanna’s nurturing and positive demeanour.  So, this shoutout is dedicated to Joanna, with huge gratitude.

Website: https://www.scttherapy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandra.scttherapy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-thompson-sct-therapy-835849233/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandraT010806

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCTTherapy/