Counselling in Edinburgh

My introduction to counselling and psychotherapy was as a client more than thirty years ago. Now I enjoy helping other people to find their ways through a wide range of life events and challenges. With impartial help to express yourself, unravel your thoughts and feelings, and review your ideas, decisions and beliefs it becomes easier to make sense of what's happening. It then becomes possible to explore your needs, wishes and options, and to find a way through. Perhaps it's difficult to put into words whatever is troubling you - maybe I can help you to find them?

Whatever you are struggling with right now, I know how hard it can be to find someone to talk to. You may still be carrying emotional hurt and pain from past life experiences or finding it hard to cope with more recent life changes or events. Or perhaps you are feeling lost, confused and alone in your life and are no longer experiencing true happiness or enjoyment in the things that you do. All of this may be leading to conflict and tension in your close relationships, having a negative impact on your self-confidence and sense of self-worth, and making you feel more irritable, anxious or depressed day to day.

Therapy can be genuinely transformative. My aim is to create a safe, accepting, non-judgemental and confidential space for you. Here, we can begin to work co-operatively to explore and create meaning from what we talk about together. Through our dialogue, we can begin to recognise new, emerging possibilities and the potential for genuine change.

Navigating the complexities of our world can be overwhelming, both personally and societally. Challenges often arise, putting pressure on our sense of identity and our relationships. It's common to feel a range of emotions in response – anxiety, depression, alienation, hostility, or numbness. These are all deeply human reactions, highlighting our capacity for thought and emotion. While your coping mechanisms may have served you in the past, they might no longer support your pursuit of a more autonomous and satisfying life. Seeking therapy is an empowering step toward personal growth and navigating life's challenges.

Seeking help is not easy; if you land on this page, you are brave, as it takes great courage. You are not alone in this struggle, and I am here to offer you a safe and compassionate space where you can explore your innermost thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment. Together, we will delve into the root causes of your suffering, unravelling the patterns that keep you feeling stuck and overwhelmed. My approach, combining individualised psychodynamic techniques with genuine empathy and understanding, sets me apart as a therapist.

Maybe you have tried talking therapy and feel stuck talking about the same things without seeing change.
 Maybe you regard yourself as a creative person and have noticed the positive influence music can have on your wellbeing, and wanting to explore this further.
 Maybe talking about things can feel overwhelming and you need a space to be heard without having to put things into words.
 Maybe you already use music to process your feelings and could benefit from guidance and support within that process.
 Maybe you are struggling with a specific issue in your life that you would like support with and try an alternative to counselling.

People usually come to therapy when they feel that they no longer have the ability to deal with the difficulties they are experiencing, or maybe when they identified a pattern in their behaviour that creates suffering, when many emotions or thoughts come at the same time and make it impossible to cope with them, when they want to learn about themselves and get deep down to get a better relationship with oneself, when the previous ways of coping and support by friends and relatives are not enough to offer them the solutions and relief they seek. Either the reason to come to therapy, it's valid because it's your own.

What if. Two words that send your mind down a well-worn path. Words and images that pop into your head at any moment and no matter how hard you try to push it away you find yourself stuck; thinking, feeling and doing the same thing over and over. Maybe it’s reliving the past, maybe it’s worrying about the future, or feeling you need to do something right now or something bad will happen. “What if” is hard to live with. But when your mind is stuck in the “what if’s” your brain is telling you there is something you need to figure out, something you need to rebalance.

Difficulties and stress in the relationships that matter most to you can be a source of distress, anxiety, frustration or despair. When all your efforts to make things better still haven't worked, maybe it's time to think about trying a different approach. Working with a experienced relationship counsellor can give you the time and space to explore what is troubling you. I work with individual adults and couples from all backgrounds, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities to help them gain insight and fresh perspectives on life, relationships, and other issues that cause distress.

It’s a big step to come to therapy, especially if you’ve had a lifetime of feeling different and not understood or heard. Maybe you experience anxiety and it’s starting to impact your life? Perhaps you have poor self-esteem and would like to set better boundaries? Have you or someone you care about recently received an autism or ADHD diagnosis and you’re having complicated feelings, not sure what to do now? Are you keen to please others but really harsh on yourself? I regularly work with people who answer 'yes' to these types of question.

Hello and welcome! I'm a Pluralistic/Integrative counsellor passionate about supporting people to cope, overcome their difficulties and improve their wellbeing. Do you feel sad, misunderstood, overwhelmed or lonely? Do you struggle in your relationships? Do you want to understand and process your emotions to enjoy life more? Do you want to strengthen your confidence? In my practice, I strive to create a space where insight is cultivated and offer tools and methods to make sense of things. One thing I hear from my clients often is their regret for not starting counselling sooner. For more about how I work, please visit my website.

Hi there, my name is Ana and I'm a psychodynamic therapist and supervisor with a special interest and experience in working with those affected by existential issues and a Masters thesis in working with adult children of parents with narcissistic traits. In my client work, I draw on my background in psychology, philosophy and systemic therapy, as well as psychodynamic therapy and attachment theory which looks at the unconscious relational processes between us and finds links between what you're experiencing in the present and your early childhood and family experiences. My supervision approach is both psychodynamic and integrative.

Sometimes life throws challenges in front of us which we may struggle to cope with. This could be a sudden and unexpected change like a loss or bereavement. It could be something that we have always struggled with that is making it challenging to move forward with life. Situations such as these can be stressful, and sometimes we can't shake off the anxiety and depression or we may even experience anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure in usually pleasurable activities). It might also be a past trauma or abuse that is causing the challenges in the present life, revealing itself as panic for example.

As your counsellor, my role is to help you change the circumstances in your life that have become obstacles to living a fulfilling life. We will focus on improving these difficulties that hold you back in life. I believe counselling can help people improve their relationships and strengthen their skills and personalities. My passion is to help people overcome their problems and live a satisfying life.

Anxiety, family/relationship struggles, traumatic past experiences, feeling low...there are lots of reasons that may have driven you in search of someone to speak with. I offer a safe, confidential and grounded space to share whatever might be concerning you. We will explore whatever has led you to seek counselling at whatever pace feels safest and easiest for you. In terms of how you might experience me...Open, warm, grounded, not afraid to have a laugh or shed a tear, sensitive, non-judgemental and welcoming of all regardless of race, age, gender, sexuality or history.

I am passionate about forming strong therapeutic relationships with my clients to enable us to work in collaboration towards their personal goals. I have worked in psychology services since 2008 and as a Clinical Psychologist in highly specialist teams within the NHS since 2015. I have specialist experience in working with people living with physical health conditions, as well as working with people who are dealing with challenging life stressors. I am experienced in drawing upon a number of evidenced based approaches and tailoring therapy to my clients and their individual needs, goals and values.

I am a trainee counsellor, offering affordable, psychosynthesis therapy sessions in central Edinburgh. People often turn to therapy because of addictive behaviours, anxiety, emotional instability, relationship struggles, grief stemming from the loss of a loved one or significant life changes such as health or career shifts. Together, we can explore your unconscious processes, giving meaning to the sub-personalities that shape your day-to-day interactions. By acknowledging these diverse facets of the self, you can then make informed choices that are more aligned with your journey of personal growth, leading to a more meaningful life.

Have you been feeling like something is off lately? Has anxiety or depression been holding you back? Are you getting stuck in your mind due to distressing thoughts? Whatever it is, I would love to work with you to help understand what has been impacting your mental health. Therapy takes time, commitment and patience. There may be challenges along the way, but we will work through them together. My role as a counsellor is to walk with you in self discovery, while helping you work towards your goals.

Life will often fill up with unexpected twists and turns - does this sometimes leave you feeling somewhat lost and unsure. Are you considering therapy as a way to navigate through these times? Have you thought of a different way of doing therapy? I am a walk and talk therapist, where therapy isn't just about talking. It's about taking a walk, experiencing the nature around you while delving into your thoughts and emotions. Picture this: instead of confining our conversations to four walls, we take them to the great outdoors with walk and talk therapy.