Finding a therapist in Sofia who works in English

Sofia has a real English-speaking therapy scene, and it is smaller than the internet suggests. Many listings are aggregators; some names appear on four directories and answer none of them. The practical work is separating people who can hold a session in English from people who are qualified to do therapy and happen to speak it.

Fluency is not a qualification

A therapist who studied in English, trained in an international method or supervises across borders is working in a professional second language, which is different from conversational fluency. Ask directly: in which language did you train, in which language do you supervise, and how often do you work in English now.

The answers matter because therapy runs on precision about feeling. A therapist who reaches for the nearest available word will flatten what you said. A therapist who notices that the nearest word is not right will ask.

What to ask about method

Bulgaria has no single protected title for "psychotherapist", so the useful question is not what someone calls themselves but what they trained in and for how long. Recognised training in this country usually means several years of coursework, personal therapy of your own, supervised practice and continuing supervision.

Ask which method, which institute, and whether they are supervised now. A therapist who is not supervised at all — at any level of experience — is working without the thing that catches their blind spots.

Practical questions people forget

Continuity. Expats travel. Ask whether sessions can move online for a few weeks and whether that is charged the same.

Leaving. If you may leave Bulgaria within the year, say so at the first meeting. It changes what kind of work is sensible to begin. Short, focused work with a clear end is often better than open-ended work that will be cut off mid-way.

Cancellation. Ask for the actual rule, in hours and money, before the first session. At Integria a session cancelled more than 24 hours ahead is refunded in full; later than that it is not, and a session we cancel is always refunded in full.

Records. Ask what is written down, who can see it, and what happens if you ask for it to be deleted. A therapist who has never thought about this has also never thought about what happens if a laptop is stolen.

The first meeting is for deciding

The first meeting is not the beginning of therapy. It is where you find out whether this particular person is someone you can work with, and where the therapist finds out whether what you need is something they can offer. Both answers are allowed to be no.

Bring the practical questions. A therapist who is uncomfortable answering questions about method, supervision, price and records is telling you something useful.

What Integria offers in English

Individual sessions in English, 50 minutes, 85 € including VAT. The work is body-oriented psychotherapy — neo-Reichian analytic psychotherapy and Bodynamic — which means the body is part of the conversation rather than a topic that comes up occasionally.

Integria is not a medical centre. We do not prescribe medication and we do not diagnose. If what you need is psychiatric assessment or medication, that is a different professional, and saying so early is part of the job.

We are not a crisis line either. If there is danger to life, call 112.