Sofia User

I’m a psychology graduate and counsellor with experience in qualitative and user-centred research, built through complex, people-facing roles. With an MSc Counselling & Psychotherapy (First Class), I deliver evidence-based, integrative support, maintaining GDPR-compliant records and handling sensitive information with care. I also run an independent practice, managing around 25 sessions a week across multiple platforms, supported by a risk-based triage and scheduling system that reduced lost appointments from around two a week to effectively zero.

Previously, as a Mental Health Adviser at the University of Huddersfield, I supported students through structured needs assessments and in-depth interviews, coordinating joined-up care through internal teams and external services. I led a mixed-method user research project to redesign an online intake assessment—designing surveys, running user interviews, analysing findings, and iterating with users—driving daily form abandonment down from 15 to 3 and increasing students accessing support from around 40 to 52 per day. I also identified engagement barriers for international postgraduate students and redesigned outreach timing and content, and I contributed to TEF Gold student experience and the University Mental Health Charter Award.