About me
I am an accredited, relational, integrative trauma therapist with 15 years experience of private practice. I am also a qualified (UKCP) supervisor. I have over 35 years experience working with people healthcare and educational settings.
Many clients come to therapy because they’re simply exhausted from being strong for too long.
Does that sound familiar? You might worry that you’re ‘too much’, too anxious or that your problems are too big. You may feel misunderstood or afraid to show your pain and authentic needs for fear of being rejected. Over time, this can lead to relationship patterns, addiction issues, confusion about identity, or difficulty setting healthy boundaries with those you care about. You may also feel that there’s no one truly in your corner — someone who won’t judge you or expect more than you can give.
In our sessions, we’ll take things at your pace and build trust together. When you’re ready, we’ll begin to gently explore the more complicated experiences of your past. I’ll help you recognise your needs, values, and patterns of thinking or behaviour that may be holding you back from healing or growth.
A big focus of my work is helping people learn the difference between emotions and overwhelm, and how to regulate these states. Developing these skills can help you feel calmer, more in control of your choices, reactions, and relationships.
Who I work with:
I work with clients struggling with anxiety, depression, addiction, abuse, overwhelm, dissociation, bereavement and clients curious about possible ADHD and neurodivergence.
I am a therapist with lived experience of the LGBTQIA+ community, neurodivergence and complex trauma.
My special interests include:
Dissociative Disorders (including DID, depersonalisation, and derealisation), FND, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), complex PTSD and trauma.
I also enjoy working with clients from GRSD and minority ethnic communities.
I trained as a supervisor with CICS (Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology) because of its sex-positive and inclusive approach, which aligns with my own values.
What to Expect.
Therapy with me is collaborative, relational, and compassionate. I believe that our early attachments and life experiences deeply shape how we relate to ourselves and others. Times of crisis can often prompt us to ask who we are and what we want from life — and therapy can be a safe place to explore those questions.
Although our early relationships influence us, I believe we all have an innate capacity for growth and healing. Together, we’ll focus on what’s happening in your life right now and how you can move towards a greater sense of balance and purpose.
Hollie, My Therapy Cat
My gentle (and much-loved) therapy cat, Hollie, often curls up beside clients during sessions. Many find her presence calming and grounding. Of course, if you’re nervous or allergic, I’ll ensure she’s not in the room.
Availability
I currently have some availability for clients and supervisees.
I offer:
Face-to-face sessions from my home in Bonnyrigg as well as online therapy (for local and international clients) using the platform Whereby.
Walk and Talk sessions are also available, using the Dalkeith to Penicuik walkway — ideal for those who prefer less eye contact and wish to connect with nature during therapy.
I work with adults, couples, and young people 16+, offering both short- and long-term counselling.
When you get in touch, please include your availability, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Training, qualifications & experience
I began my career in healthcare settings supporting young adults with learning difficulties. I went on to work with children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the education department, many of whom were affected by substance abuse, the criminal justice system, adoption, fostering, disability and significant trauma.
I began my own personal counselling journey in 1995 and then decided to begin training as an Integrative counsellor in 2000. I have a COSCA approved Diploma in Counselling. This means that the model I studied, allows me to listen to what YOU want from counselling and adapt my approach to what suits you and your situation best, incorporating theoretical knowledge taken from a number of the most widely accepted counselling models (CBT, Psychodynamic, Person centred). I am also currently studying Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and have studied aspects of Sensory Motor therapy. IFS teaches us that we all have multiplicity of mind ('part of me feels like this but part of me feels like that, however my gut is telling me to......')
Furthermore, as part of my training I had to undergo extensive personal therapy for a number of years and therefore I know what it's like to be a client and how important it is to find a counsellor that 'gets' you and that you can trust and feel safe and relaxed with.
I am rigorous in my approach to ongoing learning and study and regularly undertake CPD (professional development) courses. I have recently taken courses/pursued my own study on many varied areas including: —
- Diploma in Clinical Supervision with CICS (Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology) Sept 2024-May 2025.
- ARFID (BEAT) March 2024
- Dissociative Disorders (in house training run by CDS and Nanette Boon) May 2023. -
- Rainbow Therapists Annual Conference. Jan 2023
- The therapeutic uses of Kink Jan 2023.
- Working therapeutically with sex workers Jan 2023.
- Chem sex (Silva Neves) Feb 2024. -
- Counselling couples (Esther Perel) Nov 2023.
- Group Facilitation (Greenwood Events). August 2022
- Intuitive and Disordered Eating ( Greenwood Events).May 2023.
- Attachment theory and the therapeutic relationship (Greenwood Events). December 2021.
- Emotional Neglect (Pesi, Nov 2021)
- IFS Training (Pesi Frank Anderson, May 2021).
- Working with Psychiatric Drugs (BACP) November 2020.
- Working with Bereavement and Complex Grief (BACP June 2020).
- Working with Neurodiverse clients. (Greenwood Events 2019).
I am a member of the BACP and therefore I am subject to their ethical framework.
I have run my own private practice for over 13 years, from my home based in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I often take a mindfulness. creative approach to therapy. If people are comfortable with using the creative arts to express themselves there is scope to use art, music, the written word and sand tray work to enhance our talk therapy. I am not extensively trained as an art/music therapist but am comfortable using the arts within a session.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I charge £60 for a 50-60 minute one to one session, with a limited number of spaces for clients on a lower income. Concessions are £50. Please feel free to ask about this.
Sessions usually occur on a weekly basis. I work Monday to Thursdays during the day. I don't work evenings. My latest session is at 5.30pm.
When I work
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I work Monday to Thursdays during the day. My last session of the day is at 5.30pm.
Further information
There is ample free parking outside the house. The no 31 stops less than a minute from the house which comes from the city centre. The bus stop name is Waverley Terrace. There are a number of other buses linking Bonnyrigg to Penicuik and Dalkeith/Mayfield and we are less than a mile from Eskbank Railway station. It takes approximately 35 minutes to get to Bonnyrigg from North Bridge, Edinburgh by bus.
My work room is on the first floor.
Below is a letter written to an imaginary client. The reason I add it here is to give you an idea of the kind of client that may come and see me but also to give you a 'fly on the wall' insight into the kind of journey many of my clients take even if their life stories don't match 'Alison's'. I hope it helps.
Dear Alison,
I am so glad you decided to bite the bullet and come for counselling. Life has been tough for you. You have faced so many traumas in your early life and there have been so many events out with your control that have caused fear, uncertainty, shame and loss. You have battled through these, believing you were to blame for many of them. You have carried the weight of the world on your shoulders for so long, believing that if you had cried, shouted, asked for help you would have been judged as being weak and unacceptable and therefore rejected.
At times this has been too hard to bear and you have sought comfort and connection in places that subsequently brought much pain and regret. You have paid a high price. Despite this you have worked hard to be a faithful and loving wife and mother and to make amends. You have a daughter who loves you and who has turned out to be a beautiful, respectful and motivated human being, compassionate about others. Your husband loves you very much and wants to grow with you and plan a future with you by his side.
You have come so far. You are learning to connect to your feelings again, take responsibility for your emotions and actions and throw off shame and guilt that hold you back. This has been such a hard thing for you to do, to trust a total stranger with your secrets and take a risk of being overwhelmed and consumed by your feelings. But you are getting there!! You are facing those feelings and realising they are not consuming you. You are learning to make more conscious choices, to be kinder to yourself, to like yourself again and to understand yourself and others better. You are tackling that anxiety head on and learning to verbalise what you need.
Well done for being brave and reaching out for the connection and love that you desire and deserve. Keep going Alison, one step at a time. You’ll get there and I can’t wait to be there as you grow, cheering you on and helping you to connect with who you really are, holding you as you as you weep and let go of the pain of the past and standing with you as you take the future by storm! I’m so proud of you!
