“Sophie Sidney, speech therapist, smiling and sitting with a child, practicing story telling through drawing around a child’s hand using coloured pens and paper.”

Speech Therapy with Sophie

High quality and personalised Speech & Language Therapy in Kingston, Richmond Upon Thames

and surrounding areas.

Welcome to Speech Therapy with Sophie, where exceptional care is provided through a personalised service.

I run a small, independent practice dedicated to providing high quality speech and language therapy for children. Based in the Kingston/Richmond Upon Thames area, I also work in the surroundings areas.

I offer:

Assessments to profile children’s current communication skills and to advise on the best therapeutic intervention if required.

Therapy sessions tailored to your child's needs, delivered in a comfortable home setting or at local schools and nurseries.

Teacher training that is engaging, practical, informative for teachers and designed to enhance their ability to support children with speech and language needs.

Mentoring and professional supervision for speech and language therapists. Sessions are available both in person at my home and remotely online across the country.

"Sophie Sidney, speech therapist smiling and holding up a flashcard with the letter 'S' during a therapy session."

“Sophie Sidney carrying out a speech and language therapy session with a child using flash cards to practice spoken sentences"

“Sophie Sidney, speech therapist developing a young child’s language through play during a therapy session.”

About Me

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with countless children, their families, and educators.

My expertise covers a broad range of communication difficulties, including late talkers, speech sound production, stammering, sentence formulation, and understanding of spoken language. Additionally, I love helping children develop higher-level language skills like making inferences, predictions, and expanding their vocabulary, which in turn makes reading and classroom activities more accessible and enjoyable for them.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is the opportunity to be creative and playful while helping children reach their communication potential.

Hello! I’m Sophie Sidney.

I’ve been a speech and language therapist for nearly 20 years. My passion for this field stems from my belief in the fundamental importance of communication—a skill often taken for granted but crucial for personal and academic success. Communication is a complex skill involving numerous steps and processes that require careful support and nurturing.

“Group of children participating in a speech therapy session, looking at a book together with Sophie Sidney, speech and langauge therapist.""

"Sophie Sidney, speech therapist, smiling, note taking and looking at a laptop with headphones, whilst leading a professional supervision session.”

In addition to my work with children, I offer professional supervision for other speech and language therapists. I am dedicated to supporting others in my profession, helping them build on their experience, knowledge and confidence, which ultimately benefits their clients.

I also provide highly-rated training for school staff, empowering them to foster communication development for all children in primary schools.

Services

"Child playing / collecting rewards during speech and language therapy assessment / therapy session".”

Assessments

I offer a range of assessments to evaluate a child's communication skills. These include brief screening assessments and comprehensive formal assessments. Assessments can also include gathering information from parents and school, observations of the child at play or in the classroom. All assessments are conducted in a friendly, stress-free environment.

"Speech therapist guiding a child to practice mouth movements with letter shapes”

Therapy Sessions

I provide one-to-one therapy sessions tailored to each child's specific communication needs. These sessions incorporate engaging activities designed to motivate the child and achieve their communication targets. Additionally, I offer indirect therapy by guiding parents and caregivers on how to support their child's communication development for example through play and providing strategies to help caregivers of late talkers. I also teach structured programs like the Lidcombe Program for stuttering.

Groups

I have extensive experience in facilitating group sessions. Examples include a social nurture group for younger children to help them adapt to school, improve listening, attention, and communication skills, as well as early speech and language development groups. I also create groups to address specific needs, such as reading comprehension, memory, and vocabulary enhancement.

“Happy Teachers in Classroom taking part in speech and language therapy training.”

Training for Schools

For more details on the training I offer, please see the Training for Schools page

Professional Supervision

For more details on my supervision provision, please see the Supervision page

My services are open to all families from all backgrounds, including those from diverse ethnicities, families who speak English as an additional language, same-sex couples, single-parent households and those with looked-after children.

“Smiling same sex couple participating in speech and language therapy with a child”.

“Happy Black family participating in speech and language therapy”.

“Happy white family participating in speech and language therapy playing with children”.

“Father / Dad with children reading, doing speech and language therapy exercises / homework”.

Teacher Training

I offer A 1.5-hour course for teaching staff to provide Simple Strategies to Develop ALL Children’s Communication in Primary School.

The course has been developed from clinical experience and knowledge, feedback from teachers and the children themselves!

It includes workshops, videos, and practical ideas for teaching staff.

“Laughing teachers in school listening to speech and language therapist delivering in-service / inset training.”

Schools will take away from this training

A whole school approach to apply in your classrooms straight afterwards
Be able to raise speech, language, and communication standards for all pupils
Be able to support learning in the classroom; help all children to access the curriculum
Simple tools that can be used to drive the biggest changes in the classroom, with little or no extra work for teaching staff!
Everyone leaves equipped and motivated to try at least one new strategy to support children’s communication in their classroom the very next day!

Feedback from previous teacher training sessions

100% of attendees left motivated and felt equipped to use a new strategy in class

100% of attendees would recommend this training to other school staff

“I really enjoyed the practical activities. Seeing the communication processes broken down, then how this can be applied in the classroom.” ---“Great having examples to back up theory.” --- “It was very informative.” --- “It was all beneficial and has caused me to think about various needs in my classroom and how supporting communication may help.” --- “Useful being able to take time to really consider what it is like for children with communication difficulties.” --- “Beneficial having simple strategies that can support communication.” --- “Useful practical learning.” --- “I really enjoyed it all.”

Other training is available. Please contact me to discuss your needs.

A central part of my individualised and caring practice involves prioritising inclusivity and respect for all. I am committed to neurodiversity-affirming care, recognising and supporting the unique needs of each individual.

When working with children, I take into account their individual developmental and learning patterns to effectively support and enhance their communication skills.

“Brain to represent neuro-diversity and that all minds are accepted."

Supervision

I provide a dedicated space for you to reflect on your practice, share successes, discuss concerns, and delve deeply into your experiences. Together, we'll build on these experiences to help enhance your skills and nurture your growth. I will help you tap into your own expertise and knowledge, offering encouragement and motivation to take action and move forward in your career.

My Style of Supervision

“Happy speech and language therapist taking notes whilst participating in online professional supervision.”

I will offer you a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space for you to discuss any work-related topics. This is your time to speak freely and openly.

With a warm and friendly approach, I will listen to you with understanding and compassion, ensuring you feel heard and supported.

My goal is for you to leave each session feeling good about yourself and confident that your supervision time was valuable.

I Bring Great Experience of:

Independent Sector Expertise

With many years working in the independent sector, I bring a wealth of experience, having set up my private practice early in my career after a short time of working in the NHS.

Collaborative Working

I have extensive experience working with and advising other speech therapists, sharing ideas and resources in a friendly and unpressured manner.

Diverse Clientele
I am well-versed in handling a broad range of speech therapy topics and clients, especially those encountered in school settings or home-based work.

Teacher Training
I have experience in planning, providing, and preparing to deliver teacher training sessions.

Professional Rapport Building
I excel in building excellent relationships with speech and language therapists from diverse backgrounds and other professionals.

Valued Supervisee Perspective
My own experiences as a supervisee are a crucial and valued part of my practice, giving me a unique perspective on supervision. I continually enhance my skills and knowledge through courses like those offered by In-Tandem.

“Sophie Sidney, speech and language therapist, providing face to face professional supervision.”

A key aspect of my practice is my commitment to continually enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the services I provide. I do this by regularly engaging in professional supervision, seeking second opinions and expert advice as well as participating in a wide range of courses to grow my skill set and to keep up to date.

I also highly value and encourage feedback from my clients, as it plays a crucial role in refining and improving the support I offer.

Testimonials

“We have been so pleased with all the sessions L has had with Sophie and he has come on so far since she started. Sophie was engaging with our son from the minute she met him, completely focused and professional. Every week she would have something new and exciting for L to keep his concentration and he looked forward to his sessions. We were always given targets and homework we could do to help L and Sophie would explain everything at the end of each session. L has progressed in such a short time with Sophie, he is now able to say letters he could never say, correct himself and his confidence has grown. We cannot recommend Sophie highly enough”

Parent