Sidra Gifford
Counsellor & Coach
English-Speaking Counselor & Coach offering warm, practical support grounded in lived experience — helping high-capability, neurodivergent adults navigate culture shock, burnout, and life in Europe.
I specialise in:
About me
Moving to a new country has a way of exposing the cracks in systems that used to work.
If you are a high-performing adult — an academic, researcher, tech worker, or creative professional—you’ve likely spent your life relying on intellect, intense hyperfocus, and sheer effort to navigate high-demand environments. You may have always felt "different," but your problem-solving skills allowed you to keep floating.
Then you moved abroad.
When you add the daily friction of a new culture, bureaucratic complexity, language barriers, and lost support networks, the mental energy required just to exist multiplies exponentially. Strategies that once worked can suddenly lead to severe exhaustion, executive function paralysis, or a quiet identity crisis.
Do any of these feel familiar?
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Masking Exhaustion: You spend immense energy adapting to rigid social or workplace expectations, returning home completely drained.
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High Capability vs. Executive Dysfunction: You can publish a research paper or code a complex system, yet a simple administrative form causes illogical overwhelm.
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The Burnout Cycle: You operate in bursts of hyperfocus followed by deep depletion — feeling like you’re driving with the parking brake on.
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Sensory & Intensity Overload: You’ve always experienced the world deeply — through heightened sensitivity, intense curiosity, or pattern recognition—and often felt "too much" or misunderstood.
My Background & Approach
I hold master’s degrees in Public Mental Health (Johns Hopkins) and Social Work (CSU Los Angeles), backed by 30 years of experience across mental health research, program design, and direct practice. Having navigated my own relocation to Europe, I understand firsthand the weight of building a life in a new country, grieving what you left behind, and managing the unknown.
My practice is deeply neurodivergent-matching, trauma-informed, and pro-actively affirming across all identities, relationship structures (including ENM/polyamory), and body sizes. I don't view you as something to be "fixed." Instead, we focus on understanding your natural brain wiring and accepting the implications of that so you can thrive as you are.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
Our work is non-pathologizing, collaborative, and tailored to how your mind naturally processes stress, focus, and emotion. Rather than forcing you into rigid productivity plans or standard behavior models, we explore how your nervous system actually operates and build sustainable, custom guiderails around it.
What We Focus On:
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Executive Functioning & Energy Management: Decoupling your self-worth from productivity, examining natural rhythms of focus, and creating friction-free systems for administrative tasks and daily routines.
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Deconstructing the Internal Critic: Dismantling imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and the fear that rest equals failure—cultivating self-compassion and emotional regulation.
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Navigating Expat Relationships & Isolation: Processing cross-cultural identity shifts, setting clear boundaries, and navigating relationship dynamics as an international.
Frameworks I Draw From:
I integrate evidence-informed, humanistic models tailored to your specific processing style:
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Values & Acceptance: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Humanistic & Existential Models, Positive Psychology.
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Parts Work & Self-Exploration: Schema Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS) principles, and psychoeducation for competing internal drives.
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Relational & Attachment: Gottman Method, PACT, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Attachment Theory.
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Pattern Recognition & Skill Building: Dialectical (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) skills, Motivational Interviewing, and Narrative frameworks.
What to Expect in Our Sessions
Sessions are conversational, flexible, and collaborative. We balance deep, insightful exploration with practical clarity so you leave each session with actionable ways to move forward.
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Format: Secure video platform across Europe (In-person sessions/walk-and-talk available near Angers, France by request).
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Scope Note: Operating as a Psychopraticienne in France, I provide private, non-medical well-being guidance, coaching, and counseling. Services are direct-pay and not covered by French Assurance Maladie.
Ready to get started? Grab a free 15-minute intro session to see if we’re a good match. If you prefer to jump straight into a full 50-minute first session, simply send me a quick message here with your preferred day and time (I am available Mon-Thu 3-7PM or Tues-Fri 7-10AM Paris Time).
Experience
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Counselor & Coach | Wellbeing by Sidra FKA Sage Mental Health (Virtual across Europe)
Providing non-medical counseling, relationship coaching, and international transition support for English-speaking adults.
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | Private Practice & Mental Health Agencies (California, USA)
10 years of direct clinical practice, assessment, and psychotherapy for adults navigating complex life transitions and trauma.
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Researcher & Program Manager | Public Health & Community Organizations
20 years of experience designing, evaluating, and implementing public mental health frameworks, community intervention models, and evidence-informed support systems.
Education
Master of Social Work, California State University, Los Angeles
Master of Health Science in Mental Hygiene, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
Graduate Studies, Social Ecology, University of California at Irvine
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Chicago
Services
Intro Call
Mindfulness Lesson
Individual Session
Individual Session
Couples Session
Insurances
