Welcome to SOFIA research project!
The SOFIA study is exploring Solution Focused Brief Therapy for people living with aphasia following a stroke. It is funded by the Stroke Association.
We hope the therapy will improve emotional well-being.
On this site there is information about:
What is aphasia?
Aphasia occurs when the part of the brain that organises communication is damaged.
It can make it difficult for someone to talk, understand, read or write.
‘My mind is one hundred per cent… speaking is bad’ (Parr, Byng and Gilpin, 1997)
Aphasia can affect how people feel about themselves and their lives. The emotional impact can be profound.
‘I just seem to be closing in on myself’ (Northcott & Hilari, 2011)
What is Solution Focused Brief Therapy?
This therapy is an approach to enabling people to build meaningful change in their lives.
It explores a person’s hopes for the future.
It encourages them to notice their own successful strategies, and what they have already achieved.
It is also a space to talk about the stroke.
Preliminary studies have found it helps people with aphasia to feel more confident and prouder of themselves (click here to read more).
Who is leading the project?
Dr Sarah Northcott
My name is Sarah.
I’m a Researcher and also a Speech and Language Therapist.
My aim is to show that it is possible to adapt a talk-based psychological therapy for people with aphasia.
To read more about my research click here.
To read more about my journey with the SOFIA project click here.
You will also find information about the team on this site, click here.
And I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me directly.
Email: sarah.northcott@city.ac.uk
University webpage: https://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/sarah-northcott
Twitter: @sarahnorthcott8
Address: Dr Sarah Northcott, Division of Language and Communication Science, School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB
The study is funded by the Stroke Association Jack and Averil (Mansfield) Bradley Fellowship Award for Stroke Research. It is hosted by City, University of London.