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I currently have availability most weeknights, all day on a Friday, and we can discuss weekend sessions.

By all means reach out and we can try find a time that works for you.

Thank you for being curious enough to look at my listing here. I appreciate that there are a lot of counsellors out there, and it might be overwhelming trying to find one who is right for you. I'll do my best to give you a sense of me and how I work over the following few bits of text, but I'm also happy to speak on the phone if you've any questions or just wonder what I sound like.

I am a fully qualified Psychodynamic therapist and a few of the things I've helped clients with are: stress/anxiety, LGBTQI+ issues, navigating autism/ADHD diagnoses, sexuality issues, relationship issues, historic/current abuse and trauma, PTSD, personality disorders as well as a whole host of other "everyday" difficulties that can add up to us feeling that something is wrong.

Qualifications:

Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling

Certificate in Counselling Skills

I've enhanced my practice since qualifying with CPD around complex trauma, addictions, family constellations and neurodiversity.

I'm fully insured, PVG registered, and I'm a registered member of Íø±¬ÃÅ and a counsellor member of COSCA. As such I abide by their codes of ethics and best practice.

I offer a non-judgemental space where we can think together about what you bring to the sessions. 

I will bring curiosity and respectful challenge to the work, with the understanding that people are often looking for counselling because of a sense that something, somewhere in their life, needs to change.

We would meet once per week, wherever possible at the same time and location, and any breaks on my part will be communicated well in advance.

Sessions are £50 for 50 minutes, with a free initial chat on the phone.

Our first session will usually be slightly different to the sessions that follow it - we'll take care of some nuts and bolts work around our working agreement, payment details, procedures for missed sessions etc.

During our first session I would also try collaborate with you on a quick 'sketch' of what your life is like just now and how you might like it to change through the counselling work.

Subsequent sessions would be less directive for the most part, as we allow the work to develop and see where it leads us.

I will try foster an environment where you feel able to express any feelings you might have about the counselling sessions

My practice hours are fairly flexible.

I usually have availability during the day or in the evening on a Friday, and most weekday evenings. I sometimes have weekend availability as well.

I'm happy to discuss this when we have our free initial consultation, and will do my best to find a time that works for us both.

Initial we would have a chat over the phone and discuss what has brought you in search of a counsellor. This is an opportunity for us to see what it's like to speak to one another, and to form an initial impression of whether we might be able to work together towards your therapeutic goals.

Our first session or two would involve agreeing a contract - basically a plan for how we intend to work together, roughly for what length of time, my responsibilities as your counsellor and any other policies & procedures we need to discuss.

The counselling itself is conducted in a trauma-informed and non-directive way, and with utmost respect for you and your experiences.

I am able to offer counselling sessions as part of the team at Springvale Wellbeing in Strathaven.

My initial training was psychodynamic and had a focus on attachment. As such, I pay attention to significant relationships and memories that my clients bring to therapy.

We might think together about your early life and significant relationships, whether they were secure or somehow disrupted, and whether you are seeing echoes of that security or disruption in your relationships now.

We might also think about unconscious processes - the things we do without realising we are doing them, and how they might be having effects on your life.

Since training, I've worked with a diverse range of clients, on a large range of issues. Some have been older, some younger, some homeless, some in the grip of addictions or struggling with grief, some have had diagnoses of personality disorders and others have been navigating their own neuro-divergence.

I recognise that sometimes grounding practice is what we need, and we might make use of some mindfulness practice, some meditation or some CBT techniques.

Part of our first session would be a discussion of what you want to get out of counselling, and how we might go about this.

We would also take care of things like our initial contract, emergency contact details etc.