Personal profile

Biography

Dr Sophie Lea is an academic, adolescent and family counsellor, teacher, mental health education consultant and clinical supervisor.

She currently lectures in the Master of Counselling at Monash University. Her research fields are in Kindness Education, Trauma-informed Healthcare Design and Emerging Therapist Supervision.

Dr Lea is also a co-founder and director of Kind Schools, a not-for-profit focused on embedding kindness qualities in educational and therapy settings, it launched in November 2022 and she is an advisory board member for Resilient Youth Australia.

She is passionate about contributing to young people's psychological wellness by implementing evidence-based, practical and supportive approaches that develop self-awareness and self-actualisation and is an advocate for the importance of the counselling and psychotherapy professions in mental health care systems.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Education/Academic qualification

Counselling Psychology, PhD, Healing Spaces for Therapy: The Influence of Room Design on Psychotherapeutic Processes, MONASH UNIVERSITY

23 Jan 201710 Aug 2021

Award Date: 10 Aug 2021

Academic Research, Grad Cert of Academic Research, MONASH UNIVERSITY

2 Jun 201530 Apr 2016

Award Date: 15 Jun 2016

Counselling, Master of Counselling, MONASH UNIVERSITY

Award Date: 20 Apr 2006

Education, Bachelor of Education, Deakin University

Award Date: 11 Dec 1996

Primary Education, Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Deakin University

Award Date: 8 Dec 1995

External positions

Co-founder and Director of Kind Schools Limited, Kind Schools Ltd

2019 → …

Advisory Board Member, Resilient Youth Australia

2018 → …

Lecturer, Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors

20162018

Founder , Lea, Sophie (trading as Courageous Conversations Counselling)

2005 → …

Director of Counselling and Psychology, Woodleigh School

20052016

School Counsellor Special Education Teacher, Berengarra School

20022004

Research area keywords

  • Counselling Psychology
  • Youth mental health
  • Education
  • Counselling
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • Resilience
  • Therapy Design
  • Trauma informed care
  • trauma-informed schoolss
  • kindness
  • Clinical Supervision

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or