My Approach

Transactional Analysis

Transactional Analysis is a widely recognised and highly-regarded model of counselling and psychotherapy with a strong ethical code and a marked emphasis on acceptance, personal responsibility and the notion that everyone is capable of making positive changes in their lives.

Pioneered by Eric Berne in the 1960s, transactional analysis, or TA for short, has grown to be a versatile, yet rigorous approach and has been demonstrated to be an effective and, often, enjoyable method of treating a wide range of psychological problems. TA is also a useful tool for personal growth and and self-development in both business and educational contexts.

Though grounded in a democratic and accessible re-writing of classical psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung), TA incorporates later concepts which are familiar within cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic approaches – as well as various influences from gestalt (Fritz Perls), person-centred (Carl Rogers) and existential (Irvin Yallom) therapies.

Fundamentally, TA is an approach firmly grounded in the principles of equality, mutual respect and the humanist principle that everyone has intrinsic value as a human being and, therefore, have the potential to make a valid contribution to both their life and the lives of others.

TA is also a very collaborative form of treatment in which client and practitioner agree what it is that the client wishes to change (the ‘contract’) and then work together to achieve their chosen goals.

About Me

Originally from West Yorkshire, Scotland has been my home for over 30 years. During that time, I’ve gathered over 20 years of experience in working with diverse groups of people from various backgrounds facing a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1998 with an English Literature degree, I began my career in the social care sector; predominantly supporting adults with learning disabilities and providing independent advocacy for individuals under the care of NHS Lothian’s psychiatric and learning disability services.

My training in transactional analysis began in 2007 at the Counselling and Psychotherapy Training Institute (CPTI) in Edinburgh and I passed my examinations to become a Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA) with a Psychotherapy specialism at the Institute of Transactional Analysis (ITA) UK Conference in Cheltenham during 2013. Following several years building my private practice in Leith, in 2015 I embarked on further training to become a clinical supervisor with Physis Training in Edinburgh and achieved my Diploma in Supervision in 2017. In the autumn of that year, I moved a short distance eastward to Musselburgh and also transferred my private practice to its present location in the Eskmills Business Hub.

Since 2012, I have worked in a dedicated space within Scottish Veterans Residences at Whitefoord House in Edinburgh providing long-term psychotherapy for armed forces veterans experiencing PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction issues and other psychological difficulties related to their military service. This trauma-focused work led to a two-year research study on the effectiveness of transactional analysis psychotherapy in treating PTSD, which was published in the International Journal of TA Research (IJTAR) in 2014.

- Registered Member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy
- Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Founding Member of the Scottish Transactional Analysis Association

2009 – Diploma in Transactional Analysis Counselling – validated by COSCA
2013 – Certified Transactional Analyst (Psychotherapy) – CTA(P)
2017 – Diploma in Supervision – validated by COSCA

I work with

• Couples
• Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• Anger Management
• Anorexia
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Bulimia
• Bullying
• Chronic Illness
• Cultural Issues
• Depression
• Disability
• Eating Disorders
• Employment Difficulties
• Mental Health Issues
• Obsessions
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Parents
• Phobias
• Physical Abuse
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Private Practice Issues
• Race Issues
• Relationships
• Sex Problems
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality
• Stress
• Suicide
• Supervision
• Telephone Counselling
• Terminal Illness
• Trauma