Most of my experience has been working therapeutically with women who have experienced violence, abuse and/or neglect, and people who develop multiple instabilities, often labelled as ‘borderline personality disorder (BPD)’ or ‘emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)’.

I am passionate about representing and working with people who are under-represented in psychology and therapy services, including those with mixed heritage, and gender and sexuality diverse people.

I started my helping career in the USA as a volunteer classroom assistant at a specialist day treatment service for children who had been excluded from mainstream school, and as a domestic violence helpline volunteer. Following this I worked in London at an NHS psychiatric inpatient service for young people, then at a residential mental health crisis project for women. I continued my helpline work by volunteering for London Rape Crisis. These experiences shaped the basis of my understanding of the importance of safety, empathy and relationship in the process of healing, reflecting my intersectional feminist beliefs.

In 2001 I began Postgraduate training in Counselling Psychology and I spent three years at City University, with placements in the NHS, Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) and an independent holistic therapy service. As a qualified psychologist, I continued to work in HMPS for two years before taking up a position in an NHS personality disorder service. There, I was part of a team delivering DBT and and providing training, supervision and consultation to third sector and primary care workers, including GPs.

Since returning to Scotland in 2009, I have held an academic position as a lecturer and deputy programme leader at Glasgow Caledonian University. I ran a busy independent practice in First Psychology for 12 years, with 5 years in a Consultant role. As part of this, I provided supervision to trainees and teams, and co-ordinated a therapy service for women experiencing homelessness, in partnership with a third sector organisation.

Since 2021, I have focused my own independent practice on providing talking therapies to gender and sexuality diverse people in a community setting, based in Dalkeith and Leith, Edinburgh.