Online Appointments Available Now

Help for stress, pain and self-regulation

Counselling | Workshops

Support for parents/carers, separated parents and child-related professionals

Cartoon illustration of three cute blue and yellow blobby characters, one is an adult caregiver sweating and looking stressed next to a crying baby and a disengaged teenager with a mobile phone.

Caring for children and young people isn’t easy

  • Especially when you’re stressed or in pain.

  • Sometimes they have big feelings - which trigger yours.

  • Sometimes they have challenging behaviours - that test you.

  • Sometimes it’s overwhelming, never-ending, exhausting and impossibly demanding.

  • This is the reality of looking after children and young people - and you are not alone.

Welcome, my name is Sophie Banks

I’m a registered counsellor, meditation teacher and safeguarding practitioner with over 20 years’ experience working in the fields of children, families and education.

I provide compassionate, non-judgmental counselling support and group workshops tailored to those who care for children and young people—whether as parents/carers, separated parents, or professionals working in child-related organisations.

Having lived through separation, burnout, stress and chronic pain, I deeply understand the challenges of balancing caregiving responsibilities while trying to maintain your own wellbeing.

My goal through Inner Safeguarding is to help you find calm, restore balance and cultivate inner safety so that you can show up as your best possible self - everyday.

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute blue blobby character feeling overwhelmed with hands over eyes, stressed facial expression, and little yellow squiggly lines around body to indicate stress.

    Chronic Stress.

    When life’s pressures won’t let up, or exceed your capacity to cope, it can feel overwhelming

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute yellow blobby character lying down on its side with bad back pain, resting head on wrist, knees curled up, sad facial expression, crying.

    Chronic Pain.

    When you’re in constant physical pain, it impacts every aspect of your life and can feel hopeless

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute blue blobby character feeling stressed-out with hands over its ears, upset facial expression and little yellow lightning bolts above its head. On the ground next to the character is a smashed mug.

    Self-regulation.

    When you’re running on empty, little things can feel enormous and tip you over the edge

“You can’t control the waves, but you can learn how to surf.”

— Jon Kabat-Zim

Are you experiencing any (or all) of these symptoms as a caregiver?

    • Feeling emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed or emotionally low (i.e. running on empty)

    • Feeling “on edge” (e.g. getting snappy or teary or reactive with children)

    • Struggling to relax or be still, to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up

    • Overthinking, ruminating (getting stuck on a problem) and feeling anxious

    • Feeling like there are too many tabs open in your brain

    • Finding it hard to prioritise self-care and healthy habits

    • Over-consuming (food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, social media etc.)

    • Under-consuming (healthy food, water)

    • Losing your self-confidence, self-belief, self-trust - including as a caregiver

    • Losing the desire to socialise, feeling like it’s too hard

    • Experiencing physical aches, pains (e.g. stomach, chest, or head)

    • Noticing changes to your libido, skin, hair quality

    • Getting sick more often

    • Generally feeling stuck, frozen, or longing for a major escape or change

    • Experiencing persistent physical pain (lasting 3+ months), with or without a diagnosis

    • Struggling to cope with diminished function, abilities, caregiving

    • Feeling scared, lonely, frustrated, anxious or worried about the future

    • Worried about yourself and how this is affecting your children

    • Looking for solutions, or to better understand your experience

    • Constantly monitoring, analysing or researching your symptoms, their cause

    • Having difficulty coping, asking for help, getting help or finding hope

    • Feeling frequent irritation, annoyance, anger, frustration due to the pain

    • Experiencing guilt, shame, self-blame about the impact on others including children

    • Comparing yourself to other caregivers, feeling less than

    • Putting pressure on yourself, judging yourself harshly

    • Feeling disempowered, invalidated, unseen, unsupported, misunderstood

    • At the point where pain is dominating your life, and it’s hard to see a way out

    • Behaving in ways you don’t like or want around children

    • Finding even small things overwhelm you, leading to a big reaction

    • Feeling hijacked by intense emotions

    • Experiencing feelings guilt or shame, wanting to be different

    • Trying to be different, but intense emotions keep taking over

    • Getting disappointed and finding it hard to “bounce back” or stay positive

    • Feeling like you a stuck in a cycle of reactivity and guilt

    • Trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid situations that trigger you

    • Finding it hard to make decisions, feeling overwhelmed by options

    • Resonating with any of the symptoms for stress and or pain (both of which impact regulation)

    • Generally struggling to show up in a way that reflects who you really are and how you want to be as a caregiver

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute blue blobby character floating in the air in a blissful state.

    Find Calm.

    Let’s work together to navigate life’s challenges, regulate your baseline state, and cultivate calm and life balance.

    Identify your life stressors, as well as your stress signature and set some realistic goals for meaningful, values aligned change. Recalibrate your nervous system towards peace and calm.

    In-power yourself with practical, evidence-based strategies to reduce stress and expand your window of tolerance.

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute yellow blobby character standing with one hand on heart, feeling happy and peaceful.

    Reduce Pain.

    Let’s work together to validate your pain experience, leverage pain science to your full advantage and increase your sense of inner safety.

    Identify your available resources, honour your emotions, apply evidence-based strategies and set manageable goals to slowly but surely feel safer inside.

    In-power yourself with knowledge, tools and self-compassion to create a new relationship with pain and reclaim your life.

  • Cartoon illustration of a cute blue blobby character holding a broom smiling while looking down at a smashed cup on the floor..

    Increase Coping.

    Let’s work together to fill up your tank, so you feel resourced to respond to life’s challenges.

    Identify your triggers in a judgment-free, supportive environment. Practice self-compassion and learn practical techniques to increase your ability to respond mindfully rather than react.

    In-power yourself with evidence-based strategies to find calm and share safety - even on those hard days.

Inner Safeguarding provides a safe, judgment-free space to be seen and heard, learn evidence-based techniques, set achievable goals and reclaim your life!

Get support tailored to your specific needs

1:1 Appointments Available Now

1:1 Appointments Available Now

Cartoon illustration of two cute blobby characters sitting facing each other, smiling in a counselling session, one yellow and one blue. The blue character has eyes closed, a single grateful tear while its body is filling up with water.

I offer compassionate, judgment free 1:1 support and practical strategies tailored specifically to your needs, designed to achieve your goals while increasing your sense of inner safety and calm

Inner Safeguarding will soon offer workshops to ‘in-power’ people who work with children, equipping you with personalised tools and skills to show up as your best possible self - every day.

Coming soon! Support for staff at your organisation

*COMING SOON* Workplace Workshops

*COMING SOON* Workplace Workshops

Cartoon illustration of four cute blue and yellow blobby characters sitting on chairs in a semi-circle talking and smiling.

Sign-up to be notified when group sessions for staff in child-related organisations become available (spam free guarantee).

Workplace workshops will in-power staff with a tool-kit of practical strategies to find calm and share safety with children and young people.

“When you get the inside right, the outside falls into place”

— Eckhart Tolle