I’m a counsellor but firstly I am a human, and I work with people who are trying to make sense of where they are in life, particularly when something doesn’t feel quite right, but they aren’t necessarily sure what is happening or what might need to change.

I have an Advanced Diploma in Counselling and experience working in a variety of settings, including charitable organisations, schools, EAP and private practice. My approach is integrative and collaborative, drawing on different therapeutic ideas as well as creativity, mindfulness and the outdoors.

But perhaps most importantly, I am curious about people. I’m interested in what sits beneath the surface of our experiences and in finding ways of working that feel meaningful for the person sitting in front of me.

My Journey

My journey started long before I came to counselling studies. I have always been interested in understanding myself and the psyche. I wanted to understand where butterflies in the stomach come from, how my thoughts are created and how they influence me, and what my feelings might be trying to communicate. I didn’t always have the language for these experiences, though, and this curiosity eventually led me to study an integrative psychotherapeutic approach to counselling.

Art has been an important part of my life for a long time, and alongside my counselling practice I have also been developing my own artistic practice. For me, creativity is another way of becoming curious about our inner worlds. It can give shape to things that are difficult to explain with words, and sometimes allows something to emerge before we fully understand what it means. Art has made me even more curious about the parts of ourselves that don’t always communicate through words such as – the images, sensations, emotions, associations and ideas that can emerge when we give ourselves space to create.

This is one of the reasons creative approaches have naturally found their way into my counselling work. I have previously facilitated expressive sessions in Edinburgh’s Meadows Park and at the Forrest Café, exploring creativity and mindfulness in a relaxed and supportive environment. These weren’t about artistic ability or producing something “good” but rather they were about curiosity, expression and giving yourself permission to experiment.

My interest in Jung came from this same curiosity – the feeling that there is often more going on inside us than we can immediately explain. I became fascinated by the relationship between what we consciously know about ourselves and the things that seem to emerge from somewhere deeper: dreams, images, emotions, patterns, bodily sensations and unexpected associations.

I don’t believe creativity needs to be part of every person’s counselling. It is simply another possibility we can explore if it feels useful or interesting to you.

I find that both counselling and art offer ways of becoming curious about what is happening beneath the surface. Sometimes we can understand something by talking about it; sometimes we need to approach it differently before we can find the words. Connection with nature is also quite central to both of these practices for me. Being outdoors can create a different kind of space for noticing, reflecting and simply being.

I completed my Advanced Diploma in Counselling in Edinburgh, and my personal and professional experiences have continued to enrich and shape my practice.

My Experiences

During my training and since qualifying, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. I completed placements with charitable organisations supporting both adults and children, worked as a school counsellor, EAP counsellor, and eventually moved into private practice. Each setting has brought me into contact with people at very different points in their lives and with very different reasons for seeking support.

I have worked with people experiencing things such as anxiety and low mood, difficulties in relationships, self-esteem and self-doubt, trauma, grief and loss, existential questions, and periods of significant life change. What these experiences have shown me most strongly is that there is no single way of experiencing any of these things. Two people can come to counselling with a similar difficulty and need something completely different from each other.

This has shaped the way I work. Rather than trying to fit someone into a particular approach or expecting therapy to follow a set formula, I try to remain curious about the person in front of me and what might be useful for them. Every person I have worked with has taught me something about the complexity of being human, and those experiences continue to shape my practice.

Beyond the traditional counselling room

I work from an integrative perspective, which means I don’t believe there is one approach to counselling that works for everyone. Our work is collaborative, and I draw from different therapeutic approaches depending on who I am working with and what feels useful.

My training has given me a grounding in person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural approaches, alongside ideas from Jungian psychology and other psychotherapeutic traditions.

I’m also interested in the different environments in which counselling can happen.

My connection with the outdoors naturally led me towards walk-and-talk counselling. There is something about moving through outdoor spaces rather than sitting opposite someone that can change the experience of talking. Being outside can give us more space to think, notice and reflect, and sometimes things emerge while walking that might not have emerged sitting in a room.

My artistic practice has similarly influenced how I think about therapy. Not everything we experience is immediately available to words. Sometimes an image, a colour, a movement, writing or simply paying attention to what we notice can open up a different way of understanding ourselves.

These aren’t things I believe everyone needs to do. They’re simply additional ways of exploring, and we can decide together what feels right for you.

A Glimpse Into My Life

Outside the counselling room, I like having a few different worlds to move between.

You might find me getting my hands dirty in the fields, walking somewhere in the Scottish landscape, or sitting down with a sketchbook and seeing what comes out.

Being outdoors, making things and having ordinary everyday experiences are important ways for me to step away from the intensity of counselling work and stay connected to life outside it.

I think this matters because I don’t see counselling as something separate from being human. I bring my curiosity, my experiences and my way of seeing the world into the room while also being very aware that your experience is yours, and my role is to make space for it.

Wondering if we’d be a good fit?

You don’t need to know exactly what you want from counselling before getting in touch. If something you’ve read here resonates with you, you’re welcome to email me or book an initial consultation.