Training and education
I completed three years of postgraduate study in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh. I am trained in both psychodynamic and person-centred therapy, and I typically use both approaches in my work.
Psychodynamic therapy involves exploring the client’s history and unconscious to better understand their relationships in the present. Person-centred therapy emphasises honouring and uncovering the client’s expertise about their own life, and helping them to be guided by it.
Prior to training as a therapist, I studied literature at the University of Oxford, which continues to inform how I think about the stories we tell ourselves and how these shape our lives.
I have regular clinical supervision, and I keep reading and training. What I learned as a client in my own therapy still shapes how I am with my own clients.
How I work
Much of our own behaviour that troubles or frustrates us began as a way of coping. Responses that once made sense — that protected us or kept the peace — have now outlived the situations they were built for. Over time, those outdated responses can create problems of their own, and it may be these that now bring you to therapy. We’re rarely aware of these patterns while we’re inside them. However, once we begin to recognise them more clearly in therapy, we can begin to see how we might work with them, and loosen their hold on us.
What we focus on will be led by what matters most to you. You can read more about the specific concerns I work with, including therapy for anxiety in Edinburgh, depression, relationship difficulties, work stress, therapy for burnout in Edinburgh, bereavement, and therapy for men in Edinburgh.
What it’s like to work together
Sessions are conversational. You set the focus; I listen closely and help us notice themes, pressures, and the sense certain patterns have carried for you. Sometimes we’ll look at earlier experiences; sometimes we’ll stay close to what’s happening now. The aim is not to judge, but to understand — so that different choices become possible.
We’ll work at a pace that suits you, and follow a course we decide on together. You won’t be pushed through a programme, or slotted into a preordained structure. Together, we’ll try to build a relationship that is strong enough and adaptable enough to hold both the present-tense stresses of your life and the deeper questions that lie behind them: who you are, how you got here, and where you want to go.
Influences and traditions
Person-centred work keeps your experience at the centre: warmth, honesty, and respect create conditions for change. Psychodynamic thinking helps us notice patterns over time — how earlier relationships can shape today’s feelings and responses.
My understanding of human nature is also deeply influenced by art and literature. Writers who have been particularly important to me:
When I may not be the right fit
I don’t offer crisis or emergency support. I’m not a doctor and I can’t diagnose clients or prescribe medication.
If you need urgent help, please contact NHS 111, your GP, Samaritans on 116 123, or 999 in an emergency.
If another type of therapy seems more suitable for your needs, I’ll say so honestly and can suggest alternatives where possible.
You can read more about how I work, practical details on fees & location, or get in touch to arrange an initial consultation.