Sue MacKay
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This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Hello and welcome. My name is Sue Mackay and I would like to offer you a breathing space to be yourself.
Talking therapies can help by taking the time to concentrate on you in a safe space away from life's distractions. I am not here to tell you what to do or to judge you. I will work with you through whatever you bring. It is not about getting "fixed" it is about understanding how and why we do and think the way we do and releasing our own abilities.
We are the experts in our own lives, we know what works for us and what we need. Sometimes, for what ever reason ( e.g. loss, separation, depression, anxiety, anger, life changes, confidence loss or being faced with our own vulnerabilities) we need a space to clear the fog in order to see our options more clearly. I am here to listen,offer challenge to certain ways of thinking and to work with you to understand lifes dilemmas.
Contracting - I offer a 30 minute initial session. This is an opportunity to meet each other, ask any questions you may have and see if you think we can work together. If you wish to continue I will ask you to fill out a simple form with your contact details and an agreement on a time and a day to meet.
You chose how many sessions you want or you may decide on an open ended approach: either way we will review as we work, checking where and how you/we are. You can end the work any time that feels right for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
My experience led me to retrain from a life in the arts to a life engaging with people at a deeper level. Having been through therapy myself I realised how much I had needed to understand myself in relation to others and the possible origins of a depressive episode in my life.
Initially I attended an introduction to counselling course and applied to a local agency that offered, amongst many things, a listening service run by and supervised by an experienced counsellor. I took a foundation course in Art Therapy as this seemed an obvious choice for me but subsequently decided to take a leap and start the journey of becoming a qualified counsellor.
I trained in both psychodynamic and person centred theories at Edinburgh University
I consider my approach as led by you, the client, person centred and informed by psychodynamic theory.
My interpretation of this means that I work with what you bring and at your pace believing in your ability and wisdom to work out what is best for you. The work is based on empathy, respect and confidentiality. It is based on the relationship we make together, on trust and kinsmanship.
I appreciate family dynamics and how the past can colour who we are in the present as well as the conscious / subconscious internal conflicts that can afflict our thinking and being.
I work generically in private practice and have some experience of specialised work with carers, children and young people.
I am particularly interested in the felt sense of isolation, the human need for belonging and being really heard in a busy world short on compassion.
We live in a world with easy connection and yet distance,at any level, is a barrier and can take its toll.
As individuals it is a tall order to change the world around us, we do have the ability to reflect on our own feelings, actions and behaviours in order to make decisions for ourselves within it.
I have worked for fifteen years within a therapeutic environment, as a listener, a trainee counsellor and as a qualified counsellor working towards accreditation.
Complaints Procedure.
In accordance with the guidlines offered by COSCA I adhere to their complaints procedure. These can be viewed online at www.cosca.org.uk.
Certificate in Supervision with Jenny Biancardi, Newcastle
Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling, Edinburgh University
Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling, Edinburgh University
Foundation Art Therapy, Queen Margaret University College
Introduction to Counselling, Stevenson College
Member organisations
COSCA is the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland, and seeks to advance all forms of counselling and psychotherapy and the use of counselling skills by promoting best practice and through the delivery of a range of sustainable services. COSCA Counsellor Accreditation is a pathway to entry onto the UKRC.
It is a requirement of all individual and organisational members of COSCA to abide by its Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice and be accountable to the Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I work generically, this means I work with what you bring.
I believe we all know what is best for us, we may just need another to allow that flow of thought. There are therapists who work in specialist areas.
Therapies offered
Fees
£35.00 - £45.00
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
• £45 Face to Face . Summer House in Portobello
• £40 online
• Walk and talk on Portobello Beach £40
• Students £35 . Reduced fee online and walk and talk only.
- Students face to face £40
• Counselling Introductory session 30 minutes £15 face to face, free online.
When I work
Tuesday + Wednesday - mornings, afternoons, evenings. Last session 6.30.
Thursday- mornings.
Friday- morning, afternoons. Last session 3.00
