Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonia Scussel.
Hi Sonia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I didn’t start my business with a perfect plan; it developed naturally through my own personal journey and a desire to help others.
I spent a long time holding everything together while navigating difficult relationships, major life changes, single motherhood, and periods where I felt emotionally exhausted but kept functioning anyway. No matter how many people are around you, emotional pain can feel very isolating. Over time, I became deeply interested in people and the ways we learn to cope.
Counselling grew from that curiosity.
I realised that, like me, many people carry invisible struggles while appearing ‘fine’ on the outside. They adapt in order to cope and keep functioning through difficult periods of life.
In 2020, I created Build Your Safe Space Counselling with the hope of offering something I had rarely experienced myself: a space where people could feel safe enough to slow down, reflect, and understand themselves with more compassion.
That experience also shaped the way I see people in therapy. Many arrive believing something is wrong with them, when often I see people who learned to adapt in order to survive difficult or complex environments.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
Life can feel challenging for everyone, including counsellors. There’s your own life, your family, timelines, clients’ lives, and at times the feeling of needing to hold everything together all at once. There were moments of self doubt and periods where I questioned whether I should keep going.
Over time, I learned that not everything can be controlled or forced. Sometimes things unfold more naturally when we stop fighting reality so hard and learn to work with where we are. In many ways, things slowly found their place from there.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a counsellor and clinical supervisor based in Perth, Australia, and the founder of Build Your Safe Space Counselling.
I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma, emotional overwhelm, life transitions, grief, and patterns that keep repeating in their lives and relationships. My approach integrates modalities such as ACT, Existential Therapy, Attachment-based work, Narrative Therapy, and EMDR, while always adapting therapy to the individual rather than forcing people into a rigid framework.
What I’m probably most known for is creating a space that feels grounded, human, and emotionally safe. Many people come to therapy feeling like they need to perform, explain themselves perfectly, or “have it together.” I try to create the opposite experience. One where people can slow down, reflect honestly, and begin understanding themselves with more compassion.
Alongside private practice, I’ve also worked in aged care and youth support settings, which has deepened my understanding of how emotional struggles can manifest differently across life stages.
What I’m most proud of is building a business that feels aligned with who I am, both professionally and personally. I never wanted counselling to feel clinical or distant. I wanted it to feel real, relational, and accessible.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My multicultural background has deeply shaped both who I am and the way I work. I was born in Italy, lived for many years in Germany, and eventually built my life and business in Australia. Moving across cultures, languages, and different ways of living taught me a lot about identity, belonging, adaptation, and what it feels like to start over.
Those experiences changed the way I understand people. I became more aware of how much we adapt to survive, often without realising it at the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.buildyoursafespace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildyoursafespace_counselling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buildyoursafespace
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/build-your-safe-space/?viewAsMember=true
