Dr Sophie Muir Clinical Psychologist

Dr Sophie Muir Clinical Psychologist I am a Clinical Psychologist based in Auckland, New Zealand, experienced in formulating and treating

Therapy looks different for everyone. Some people may present with a defined talking point they would like to focus on. ...
16/02/2021

Therapy looks different for everyone. Some people may present with a defined talking point they would like to focus on. Other people may be less clear in the type of support they are looking for and that’s okay too! Articulating inner experiences can be hard 😕 People may have a felt sense that they need support or that something is ‘off’ but struggle to identify what that is and why. The good news is that a psychologists job is help people figure out what that is!

Supportive friends are an incredible resource and so important for mental health outcomes 🫂 however, there is a limitati...
08/02/2021

Supportive friends are an incredible resource and so important for mental health outcomes 🫂 however, there is a limitation on the support that a friend can provide.
A psychologist offers a lens that is informed by psychological theory and research. They are also guided by an ethical code of conduct to ensure that treatment is to your benefit. Additionally, where your difficulties suggest you are experiencing a mental illness it is always safest to have a trained professional involved in diagnosis and treatment.
The support of your friends will be a great compliment to this process rather than replacement!

Attention online daters💻🌹We have a workshop for you!The dating landscape has changed immensely in the last decade. Onlin...
04/02/2021

Attention online daters💻🌹We have a workshop for you!

The dating landscape has changed immensely in the last decade. Online dating has introduced access to a huge pool of dating participants. While this is exciting, it can also be incredibly confusing 🤯 How do you interpret online communications, identify red flags and know someone’s intentions when they have limited-to-no mutual connections?

Join myself and fellow psychologist in a weekend workshop focused on online dating. We will teach you how to use psychological theory to make sense of the online dating landscape and pursue a meaningful relationship. The course will assist you to:
-Identify your attachment style and needs;
-Make sense of and filter out unsuitable potential partners;
-Pursue a relationship that meets your emotional needs.

To register your interest in this course go to www.drsophiemuir.com/workshops (Link in bio). Dates, price and Auckland location will be announced soon!

Myth busting 💥 Myth I: All therapists do is ask you “so how did that make you feel”Ah yes this old one! It is true that ...
04/02/2021

Myth busting 💥 Myth I: All therapists do is ask you “so how did that make you feel”

Ah yes this old one! It is true that psychologists will ask you about your feelings however it doesn’t stop there! The good stuff happens when we dig down into the nuts and bolts of WHY you feel that way. We link emotions to underlying beliefs and significant life experiences that have left an imprint. We also look at WHAT happens when you feel emotions- the physical changes that you experience in your body and how you react/behave. It is these things surrounding the feeling that we can target for change 🔎

So what happens the first time you sit down in this chair? 🛋 It’s pretty normal for clients to feel nervous when they ar...
02/02/2021

So what happens the first time you sit down in this chair? 🛋

It’s pretty normal for clients to feel nervous when they arrive for their first appointment. It’s often the first time they have opened up to someone. My job is to guide clients through that first session as comfortably as possible. We start with some basic housekeeping to get settled in. This includes talking about confidentiality and any questions the client may have.

There are three primary areas I like to ask about in the first meeting: what has brought a client to therapy; what life looks like at the moment; and their background. It’s important I get an individualised, holistic picture of the person. This can be a lot to get through in a first session however, so it’s pretty normal for us to revisit these areas in later sessions!

At the end of the first appointment, I allow time for debriefing if needed. However in my experience, clients are often feeling quite settled at this point, relieved to have shared things that have been weighing on them. We then have a chat about goals and arrange to meet again 📅

Hello I’m Sophie 👋 Who am I and what do I do? 🤔 I’m a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Takapuna. I s...
02/02/2021

Hello I’m Sophie 👋 Who am I and what do I do? 🤔 I’m a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Takapuna. I support people with a wide spectrum of difficulties. Some clients present with serious mental health challenges and trauma while others may have one area of life they would like to enhance.

Prior to working in private practice I worked for the department of corrections with people who had committed criminal offences. Criminal offending is generally the end product of a long chain of very sad life experiences. My job was to support clients to process what put them at risk of offending and develop skills to reduce their future risk. While I can understand this line of work is not for everyone, this was a very special time in my career and I think of these clients often.

While practicing in different settings, my work has helped clients strive towards similar key goals— that is, to cope with difficult thoughts and emotions, to build satisfying relationships and to take actions towards a more meaningful life. I value building a strong therapeutic alliance through a calm, non judgemental and flexible manner.

So what happens when you meet with a clinical psychologist? Stay tuned...

Hello 2021 👋 Last year certainly tested the coping resources for most. With that, there was huge demand for mental healt...
14/01/2021

Hello 2021 👋 Last year certainly tested the coping resources for most. With that, there was huge demand for mental health services. This meant long waitlists and long hours for me. As a newly self-employed person, I was incredibly grateful for the demand last year. I was also so impressed by the number of people who turned the events of 2020 into a catalyst for change and chose to invest their hard earned $ into getting support, even in such a financially uncertain time.

Over the Christmas break I reflected on how I want to work in 2021. One goal I have set myself is to keep good boundaries on my clinic hours. At the same time however, I’d like to support more people. To resolve this conflict, a colleague and I are planning some exciting group workshops this year. Groups are an incredibly powerful way to deliver therapy, and lots of fun! More info to come about groups in the upcoming weeks 😁

Low mood and lethargy are common presenting concerns that clients bring to therapy. One approach to addressing this is t...
23/09/2020

Low mood and lethargy are common presenting concerns that clients bring to therapy. One approach to addressing this is to examine day-to-day routine 🗓

When people are burned out they tend to withdraw. With this, they inadvertently take out all the things that bring joy from their day. This creates an imbalance between positive and negative emotion which then maintains low mood 🔁

How to break this cycle? Add sources of positive emotion back in. What is needed to feel joy, connection, satisfaction?

If you are feeling flat or lethargic, it’s possible you have an absence of positive reinforcers day-to-day. Creating a schedule of these can be a useful first step forwards✔️

It’s not always easy to identify the boundaries of what is in your control and what is not 🤷🏻‍♀️ Many clients enter my o...
20/08/2020

It’s not always easy to identify the boundaries of what is in your control and what is not 🤷🏻‍♀️ Many clients enter my office burned out from trying to change things that are outside of their jurisdiction. In therapy we work on redirecting their efforts to the things they do have agency over in the here and now.

Here are some ideas 💡

Giving up the struggle to change Column A. frees up your emotional resources to focus on Column B. It is here that you have a realistic chance of mastery and reward for your efforts!

Where could you benefit from redirecting your focus? 🤔

What you do- or don’t do- affects how you feel. Low mood is often triggered and maintained by a lack of activities that ...
19/08/2020

What you do- or don’t do- affects how you feel. Low mood is often triggered and maintained by a lack of activities that bring joy, novelty and pleasure 😔Therefore it makes sense if you find yourself experiencing low mood one week into lockdown in Auckland.

Now, it can be easy to get caught in a downwards spiral here: 🔁Doing less= less positive emotion= less energy and motivation= doing even less 🔁

If you find yourself stuck in a period of inactivity and lethargy, the best way out is to do the thing you don’t feel up to doing. Go on the walk, go to the supermarket, do the cooking- despite feeling like you don’t have the energy to. Once you get going, you will feel a sense of mastery and stimulation that energises you. This can build momentum to engage in further activity, precipitating an upwards spiral 🧗🏻‍♀️

As a rule of thumb, don’t wait to feel motivated to do things; do things to feel motivated.

Address

Auckland

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr Sophie Muir Clinical Psychologist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Dr Sophie Muir Clinical Psychologist:

Shortcuts

Share

Category