About me
How I can help you:
Forget the stereotype of the all-knowing therapist, sitting silently and assessing your situation with their perfect wisdom. I am not here to tell you what's wrong, or what to do to fix it. I believe you have the answers inside you. My job is to work collaboratively, draw out this innate wisdom, and help you find a way of being that feels right for you.
We have all have experienced painful things in our lives that have left a lasting mark. Sometimes, these experiences lead us to develop maladaptive ways of coping. Although these defences—such as anxiety—are ways that our mind tries to keep us safe, they ultimately lead to further suffering. I can offer a safe and open space to explore your story, challenge maladaptive beliefs and behaviours, and together work towards a place of healing.
My way of working:
I use psychodynamic theory to understand you and your past, and person-centred theory work with you and find a way through it.
Psychodynamic theory understands that our past relationships (in particular, the relationship with our primary caregiver/s) has formed the way we relate to others in the present. We have a complex inner world that shapes our experiencing of reality.
The heart of person-centred theory is that the quality of our working relationship will determine the effectiveness of therapy. That's why I'm fiercely committed to providing you warmth, empathy and a lack of judgement, so you can explore your story in a safe way.
What to expect of your first session:
We first begin by going over the therapeutic contract—an agreement that ensures you know what to expect of me in our sessions, as well as what is expected of you as a client. (For example, setting a regular day and time, what happens when either of us cancel, etc.)
I then explain a bit about myself and my way of working. It’s a space to ask questions, although I encourage you to ask questions about the process at any point during our work together.
We can then spend some time agreeing on how we want to work together—some people want short-term, targeted work for a particular issue. Others are happy for the sessions to be free and open-ended. It’s totally fine if you don’t know how you’d like to work—we can figure that out as we go along.
Finally—we dive in! You’ve likely shared a bit about yourself in your referral and now is the time to share your story, in whatever way you like. Some like to start with their early life and work progressively, others like to explore whatever feels most important on the day of the session. There are no rules! It might feel intimidating to immediately open up to a stranger and I want to stress that you don’t have to right away. We go at your pace, and when you feel ready we can explore deeper matters.
Thanks, and I look forward to working with you!
Training, qualifications & experience
- MBACP
- PGDip in Counselling, University of Edinburgh (2023)
- PGCert in Counselling, University of Edinburgh (2019)
- Mental Health First Aid Scotland
- Mental Health First Aid England
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
Fees
£55.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My concessionary rate is £50.
When I work
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Additional details on availability:
Monday: Last appt time 5PM
Tuesday: Last appt time 12PM
Wednesday: Last appt time 7PM
Thursday: Last appt time 1PM
Friday: Last appt time 3PM
Please note I am not taking on fortnightly clients at this time.
Further information
I offer in-person sessions from my cozy home office in Gorgie, about 20 minutes by public transport from the city center. Please note I have two cats. They won't be in the room during sessions (they're too young and mischievous at the moment!) but they do have access to the room when I'm not working. If you have a cat allergy, in-person sessions may not be suitable.
