Hello

I bring 30 years of experience supporting people through difficult and complex life experiences to my therapeutic work. This includes 24 years working within social care and six years practising as a counsellor and psychotherapist.

Over those years, one thing has become increasingly clear to me: people and their experiences are rarely simple.

What we feel, how we cope, the relationships we form and the ways we respond when life becomes difficult can all have a history.

Understanding the Why Behind the What At the heart of my work is a genuine curiosity about the why behind the what.

You might know what you do but have no idea why you keep doing it.

 

Perhaps you repeatedly put other people's needs before your own.

 

Maybe criticism affects you more deeply than you think it should.

 

You may long for closeness but pull away when somebody gets too close. Or perhaps you understand a pattern intellectually, yet still find yourself repeating it.

Rather than viewing these responses as weaknesses or asking simply, "How do I stop doing this?", therapy gives us an opportunity to ask: "Why might this make sense for me?"

Often, behaviours and emotional responses that cause difficulty today once developed for understandable reasons. They may have helped us cope, adapt, maintain important relationships or protect ourselves.

Understanding that doesn't mean remaining stuck in the past. It can help us develop greater compassion for ourselves and create more freedom in how we respond today. This reflects your existing emphasis on attachment, trauma, psychodynamic
thinking and shame.

A Compassionate Approach to Deeper Work

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My therapeutic approach has been shaped by a longstanding interest in attachment, trauma, psychodynamic thinking and the impact of shame. Our work might involve exploring earlier relationships, understanding repeating patterns, noticing beliefs you have developed about yourself or becoming curious about the different parts of you that may want very different things.

Shame can be particularly powerful.

It can leave us believing that there is something fundamentally wrong with us, affecting our confidence, relationships, boundaries and the choices we make.

I aim to offer a space where we can move away from judgement and towards curiosity, understanding and compassion.

Professional Practice
I am a registered member of the BACP and work within its Ethical Framework. I am committed to providing a professional, confidential and respectful therapeutic relationship.

I offer in-person counselling and psychotherapy in Midlothian, Scotland, and online sessions for clients across the UK.
Most importantly, you don't need to arrive at therapy knowing exactly what's wrong or what needs to change.

We can start with where you are.