I'm Sylvia, a psychodynamic counsellor and social worker. Originally from Caithness, beside the shores of the Pentland Firth, I am now based in Midlothian, at the foot of the Pentland Hills.
I have many years' experience supporting people through life's challenges, including those from diverse backgrounds. I am passionate about building meaningful therapeutic relationships to support personal growth.
I am a late-diagnosed neurodivergent adult and mother of neurodivergent children. I have a particular interest in the intersection of trauma and neurodiversity, and recognise that being neurodivergent increases a person's likelihood of experiencing trauma.
I work in private practice as a counsellor based in Dalkeith and also as an individual counsellor with Bright Light in Edinburgh. I am qualified to work with adults and young people aged 17+.
I am a member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), and my counselling work is undertaken in line with their code of ethics.
Qualifications
- PG Diploma in Human Relations and Counselling, Robert Gordon University / Human Development Scotland;
- Foundations of Human Relations and Counselling, Human Development Scotland / COSCA;
- PG Certificate Applied Professional Studies (Child Welfare and Protection), Stirling University;
- Master of Social Work, University of Edinburgh;
- Transactional Analysis 101, Physis Scotland / UKATA.
Testimonials:
"Sylvia helped me work through so many things I've pushed down over the years [...] we didn't just work on processing and surviving it, we worked on slowly rebuilding my foundations. Every week, things started to shift and my confidence, my self-worth, and my ability to cope with things emotionally got stronger".
"Sylvia was welcoming and helpful, but also willing to push me to think about things that weren't so easy, which is important".