My counselling work
I am a qualified, experienced and accredited counsellor based in Edinburgh. I am trained between person-centred and psychodynamic approaches and draw on both of these in how I work. This might mean coming closer to what you are really feeling in the moment, including the bits you don’t quite understand. This might connect you with your past experience and how it affects you today.
In my nature-based work, I work with clients outdoors with the natural environment as part of the work. This allows us to be explicitly part of something bigger than ourselves, and can bring different awareness and connections than being indoors. You can read more about this approach here.
I work interactively – this is something we are doing together. I work with an awareness that all parts of ourselves are connected, though they often get separated. For me, this means paying attention to our bodies, minds and emotions. It means being aware of our relationships, social context and environment. We may or may not talk about all these things, but I believe they are present.
I work both short and longer term and we can discuss what would be most helpful for you.
Qualifications, experience and background
I trained as a counsellor between 2010 and 2014, and hold a Master of Counselling degree with distinction. Before that I had worked in community based mental health roles since 2005, and began my counselling work in community contexts.
I have worked extensively with students, as a counsellor at the University of Edinburgh Student Counselling Service for almost nine years, so I have a solid understanding and experience of the wide range of issues related to studying and student life.
To equip myself to work outdoors, I have ongoing one to one training sessions in working with nature, following up years of personal therapy outdoors and a wide range of shorter trainings on embodiment and working with nature. I am preparing to undertake in depth residential training in nature based therapy and trauma.
In addition to my private counselling work, I also teach in the counselling and psychotherapy training department at the University of Edinburgh and am part of the clinical management team at Hope Park Counselling Centre.
I am registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and was awarded their accreditation for experienced practitioners in 2019. I work by their ethical standards.
I have also worked as a mental health Collective Advocacy worker, facilitating projects in which people with lived experience of mental health difficulties (specifically psychosis and personality disorder diagnosis) could have a stronger voice and work for change. This activist perspective of mental health being linked to wider society and the world around us, rather than only being an individual matter, has strongly informed my work.
I also have a Masters degree in writing poetry and I am interested in how some parts of the creative process can feel similar to the counselling process. I have written about this here.
Fingal Dorman Counselling 