About me
I offer daytime and evening sessions in Edinburgh's West End. Hello and welcome. I’m Courtney, a BACP registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist. Whatever it is that’s brought you here, I’ll offer you kindness, compassion and respect in a space that encourages exploration of your full self. I believe no part of you is wrong, faulty or irrational and strive to create an open and honest therapeutic relationship where you feel safe to explore what's on your mind. I aim to be warm, transparent, and above all, human in my relationship with you.
I particularly value working with people who feel they are very sensitive, (having often been told that they are 'too' sensitive), and have completed CPD around working with Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), who are often over-represented in people who seek therapy. The counselling modality I use is Person Centred, though at times I draw on ideas from other therapies, mainly Compassion Focused Therapy. I believe you are the expert in your life, and the role of the therapist is to help you access parts of yourself that will help you thrive and grow.
I've supported people with navigating neurodivergence, depression, anxiety, bereavement, physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, life transitions and substance use issues, (theirs, or another person's). I promote a sense of wholeness in my approach - helping you find ways that encourage you to appreciate both the ‘helpful’ and ‘unhelpful’ parts of who you are - tuning into what they are trying to tell you, even in the midst of anger, pain, grief or inner turmoil.
I have more information about me and my approach on my website which you can access in the link above. Please note I can only offer weekly appointments, I'm sorry but I can't offer fortnightly at this time.
Training, qualifications & experience
As well as my Professional Diploma in Person Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy, I have qualifications in the impact of trauma on mental health, mental health peer support and suicide prevention. Alongside my counselling practice, I most recently worked for a leading Scottish homelessness prevention charity where I set up a new service to support people into recovery from gambling harm, both the gambler themselves and people affected by another’s gambling.
I have a specialist knowledge of substance use, having worked in the UK's only residential NHS drug and alcohol dependency service. During training I completed a placement providing counselling to students in a Scottish University Student Counselling service. I have also worked at some of Scotland’s leading mental health organisations, Penumbra and Samaritans Scotland.
In 2021 I set up an innovative new Peer Support programme for people living with a rare type of incurable cancer for an Edinburgh based blood cancer charity. I also co-produced an award winning recovery toolkit for people living with Alcohol Related Brain Damage, voted in the top 10 of patient resources by the British Medical Association that year.
I completed a British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited training course, and abide by the BACP's ethical code for practitioners. My qualifications include:
- Professional Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy (Postgraduate) - Persona Development & Training (BACP accredited)
- Counselling Skills Certificate - COSCA
- Postgraduate Microcredential - Impact of Trauma on Mental Health - University of Glasgow
- Motivational Interviewing & Challenging Stigma – Scottish Drugs Forum
I have also completed training by Kieran Rose - the Autistic Advocate. His training is designed from lived experience of autism to try and give an 'inside out' perspective on life as a person living with autism.
In a 'former life' I worked in the performing and visual arts sectors and hold a BA and MA in arts and humanities based disciplines, so also appreciate the power of creativity in mental health support.
I consider myself a life long learner and regularly undertake CPD to ensure I work from a strong knowledge base.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I charge £60 for an hour session. All my concessionary spaces are currently full, so regretfully I'm not able to offer any at this time.
It's important that you find the right person for you to work with, so I offer a half price intro session to see if we are a good fit to work together. I am only able to offer weekly appointments, unfortunately I'm not able to offer fortnightly at this time. I also offer a free 15-20 minute 'get to know you' call in advance of intro sessions, if desired.
I offer daytime and evening in person and online appointments. I work Tues - Fri.
When I work
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Further information
I recognise the impact that social attitudes towards gender, sexuality, race, body size, religious expression, neurodivergence, non-monogamy and other marginalised characteristics have upon people seeking counselling and seek to counter this in my work.
- LGBTQIA+ allied
- Trans allied
- Non-monogamy allied
- Neurodivergence allied
- Weight inclusive
