Working Together to Understand and Grow

Hello you. If you want to, you can book a session with me here.

I’m trying to give you a sense of what counselling with me can be like on this page. That’s a challenging task because while I strive to offer everyone the same non judgmental conditions, and I am committed to ethical and professional standards, how I work depends on the relationship that we forge. I don’t know how to convey in the information below how a counselling session can be funny, insightful, challenging, scary and deep. I don’t know how to convey that while I’m trained and experienced, I’m also just a person who can take big swings and land on my face. And I don’t know how to convey that while I’m committed to supporting you - we might not be able to change things in your life if you’re not able to confront them honestly.

Which is all to say that counselling, for me, is a shared journey. Each person who comes to me teaches me something new — about resilience, difficulty, hope, and the strength found when we take how we feel seriously. I’ve learned that insight and acceptance can come in unexpected moments. Counselling can be about discovering what’s alive inside you; finding relief from struggle; challenging yourself to say the thing that matters and building a place where you can come and work out what you want from your life and the people in it.

I’m deeply committed to creating a space where you can be without fear of judgement. My role is to walk alongside you, holding the curiosity and respect that your experiences deserve. I listen carefully and can help you figure out what matters most to you right now. I get in the mix too and where it feels right, I’ll offer challenge and insight - only ever on the basis of what we have talked about and your life though. If you tell me for three weeks that you hate pizza, then you tell me on the fourth week that you ate a pizza…I’m gonna ask what you were up to eating pizza. If you never mention pizza, I’m not gonna be like “Hey, so have you tried pizza?”

Together, we can work on what you want to change, what you want to hold onto, and how to get there at your pace.

I love being a person centred counsellor because it enables me to stay with you and not fill the space with advice, guidance and ‘should’s. I leave that to the influencers, colleagues, friends and family members who I’m often told mean well but give input that leaves us feeling a little hollow. I bring all I’ve learned from my own journey and from every person I have met — which is where I get my genuine desire to understand your life on your terms, and an openness to grow alongside you.

My practice as a therapist is underpinned by a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills and the Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy that I have received from the University of Strathclyde. How I practice is also informed by my degree in Politics and Social Policy from the University of the West of Scotland, where I thought deeply about how the social pressures that come from our laws, our government policies and our media can leave us feeling judged, shamed and isolated from the people around us.

I am an accredited therapist with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and I’ve delivered over 2,000 counselling sessions.

People that I've worked with have said;

“Jamie put me at ease right away and has given me the space to start exploring my emotional responses. I really feared talking about how I was feeling, but now really look forward to our sessions.”

And:

“Jamie is kind, non-judgmental, and supportive. I’ve had previous therapists who were very neutral and passive—which I understand, but it can feel frustrating. I like that Jamie responds and validates my feelings, and even expresses his own opinion, and at the same time he always checks in with me that his observations are accurate. (They are!)”

Sessions are online via Google Meet or in person at my therapy room in Paisley. Sessions last about an hour, cost £60 and there’s no limit on the amount of time we can work for.

It is usual for therapists to offer reduced cost sessions. I don’t do that because I spend one day a week volunteering for Hopeful Spaces, the community counselling service that I set up. I also volunteer my time to support the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and Shelter Scotland.