Social Scientist and Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London and Qualified Sophrologist
Athina Belsi BSc, MPH, PhD is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Clinical Communication at Imperial College School of Medicine and an Academic Tutor.
After doing her Master’s in Public Health at King’s College London, which then led to a PhD, Athina initially led work into understanding patient perceptions of integrated care pathways at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College, before moving to the Department of Surgery and Cancer to teach Clinical Communication. Athina’s research focuses on patients’ experiences from interactions with healthcare professionals and the provision of services, as well as patients’ views on what contributes to better wellbeing.
Over the past few months, Dr. Athina Belsi and our Founder and Sophrologist, Dominique Antiglio, have been supporting the Medical Student community at Imperial College with short sessions of Sophrology for stress management, sleep, focus and preparing for exams.
Students generally experience high levels of stress and uncertainty and they have been some of the most impacted people by the pandemic on a mental health level. Therefore, we are proud to be able to bring our contribution to their wellbeing with Sophrology.
Athina has joined the BeSophro team as our Senior Teaching Fellow and Head of BeSophro Applied Sophrology Research. We spoke to Athina about her Sophrology journey and where she plans to go next with BeSophro…
What are you hoping to achieve at BeSophro?
I am hoping to demonstrate how beneficial Sophrology can be to healthcare professionals and students and how easily it can be incorporated into our lives.
What advice would you give to readers to help them make the time to practice Sophrology?
I would say that as humans, we are creatures of habit and having our habits makes us feel happy and secure. All it takes is to find those first few minutes to practice and then I am sure Sophrology will become a very beneficial daily habit.
How did you start your Sophrology journey?
Following maternity leave, I wanted to diversify my portfolio into something that would not only have an impact on my patients’ lives but also empower them in self-development. When I came across Sophrology the stars aligned and I am grateful I embarked on this journey.
How effective/impactful has Sophrology been in your life?
It has been hugely beneficial to myself and my family, we all practice – some more routinely than others, but we all do!
