Sophia Bennetts

Tēnā koutou katoa, Ko wai au? Ko Taranaki te maunga Ko Waitara te awa Ko Te Ati Awa oku iwi Ko Taranaki me Airangi me Kōtirangi me Ingarangi ōku tipuna No Ōtautahi ahau Ko Sophia tōku ingoa Kia ora, my name is Sophia, and I have whakapapa links to Te Ati Awa in Te Whanganui a Tara, Ireland, Scotland and England. I spent my early years growing up on the south side of Ōtautahi watched over by the Ngā Kohatu Whakarakaraka o Tamatea Pōkai Whenua (Port Hills) and have since lived in most of the other suburbs. Now I live in the city with my husband, and we spend our spare time enjoying the ongoing regeneration of Christchurch from the city to the sea. I have been working as a registered clinical psychologist since 2020, after almost a decade at the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha. UC is where I also completed a master’s thesis as part of a longitudinal study in child development. My professional experience is predominantly with Ara Poutama | The Department of Corrections where my work was focused on understanding the risks associated with recidivism, and conducting group and individual treatment with those housed in prison. This means that I have worked with a very diverse range of people, all genders, from different walks of life, with complex and difficult life histories. In this role I developed a special interest in working with those who have neurodivergence (takiwātanga, aroreretini), personality differences, and generalised difficulties with self-regulation and/or interpersonal functioning. I am trained in CBT, DBT and ACT modalities and flexibly apply these to best suit the client based on their presentation. I also have a special interest in using neuropsychological methods to understand the relationship between our brains and behaviour. There is a great deal still to discover about how our brains work, and what we know so far can really enhance our application of therapeutic interventions! I have been a Clinical Educator at UC since February 2025, and also run a small private clinic in my own time. I value honesty, humility and autonomy, and my goal is to support my clients to develop their own self-understanding and walk alongside them as they seek new ways to cope with the demands of life. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa