Mind

For me, counselling is about giving space to the wholeness of you. It rests on the simple, yet too often elusive values of feeling truly seen and heard; where judgement is replaced by deep empathy and compassion, especially for the most challenging parts of ourselves. It is about making greater sense of the here and now – often in relation to the there and then of our past – in a way that facilitates greater self-awareness, self-compassion and a grounded self-confidence in who we are today.

The therapeutic environment can be used to offload and reflect on the complexities of everyday life or to explore a diverse range of issues which might be affecting you, including: anxiety, depression, loneliness, childhood experiences, living with (neuro)diversity, grief, loss, panic, low self-esteem, stress, relationship difficulties, family challenges, work or study stress, bullying, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, attachment patterning and trauma. The practise of talking therapy encourages you to dictate the pace and content of your sessions, allowing your journey to unfold at its own pace within the insightful, supportive, unconditional holding space of the therapy room.

Most of us can feel uncertain about taking this kind of step inwards, towards ourselves. It may feel like a daunting prospect and there will always be a host of compelling reasons not to. Yet there is also the promise of such greatness in making that move inwards, towards our own personal capacity for healing, self-compassion and growth.

 If you would like to find out more, please do get in touch with me to arrange an initial online 20 minute appointment, free of charge, where we can talk more about what counselling might be able to offer you and whether you feel I may be a suitable companion to accompany you on your important journey. 

 Welcome to SeeSpace Counselling & Talking Therapy – a small compassion-focussed, trauma-informed space for counselling and talking therapies. Guided by a deep belief in our individual capacity to journey towards what is most challenging for us, therapist Kirstie Allan (MSc, Prof. Dip, MNCPS Accred.) seeks to travel alongside her clients, supporting them to create the space needed within themselves for increased self-compassion, awareness, healing and growth. Having trained extensively in the pluralistic approach, Kirstie embodies a person-centred practise based on the qualities of deep empathy, non-judgement and acceptance, whilst at the same time drawing on a range of counselling modalities including psychotherapy and part work (IFS) to create a nurturing, safe and confidential talking environment.   

Hello – I’m Sarah, a psychotherapist who works with parents or people who are thinking about parenthood. 

I have worked with individuals, couples and babies in this area for over 14 years.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what is causing worry or distress, and sometimes it’s very clear – either way, we work together to try to get a better understanding of what is going on for you and think about what might help you find a different way through.

 As well as my Psychotherapy training, I am trained in parent-infant therapies, fertility counselling, trauma therapies (including EMDR) and also relationship therapy.

Counselling helps in a variety of ways: 

• You can use it to gain a better understanding of why you feel the way you do, allowing you to make different choices.

• You can use it to talk safely about emotions that you feel uncomfortable or scared talking with anyone else about, which can be a relief.

• You can use it to consider what kinds of resources and relationships are going to support you best in this new role.

Wherever you are in your parenting journey, from pre-conception until your children leave home, difficult feelings can be present. If you’re experiencing feelings that you don’t want, and you’re not sure how to change that, we can work together to explore what is going on for you. 

 I am a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience in social research, health promotion and psychology. 

My work includes elements from psychoanalytic psychotherapy, attachment theory, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), Video Interaction Guidance and Newborn Observations. 

My work with every client is completely different since it is guided by your unique needs. 

I am a member of the British Psychological Society (367882), an Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, a member of the British Infertility Counselling Association and the Birth Trauma Association and EMDR Association UK. 

I have facilitated the Perinatal Trauma support group for Juno PMHS, a volunteer-only organisation that provides peer support and outreach to mothers with perinatal mental health issues living in Edinburgh. I have also supported women through Antenatal Results and Choices.