Get to know me
Finding out a bit about me may help you decide if I am the sort of person you can feel comfortable with in a counselling or sound therapy session. It will mean that I am not a complete stranger when you come for support.
Picking a therapist can feel daunting. Apart from the challenge of actually sharing your story with someone else, perhaps for the first time ever, you may be a bit afraid that it might get a bit too real so you need someone you can trust.
Read some of my honest background information to see if it helps. You will get a good idea of what has made me who I am today and how it all helps me be a better therapist.
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A life of many parts
So, who will you be sitting opposite when you come to see me? I have been around a while – I am now in my early 60s – and I have decades of experiences (successes and failures) that have shaped who I am today. I may have been around a while, but I am not stuck in my ways.
It would be ideal if I could say that I always aspired to be a therapist and having that focus brought me to where I am today. However, that is far from the case! I have bounced between different types of jobs. I left Scotland in 1987 and lived in Bristol and London before returning to Scotland in 1999. I have now lived in Glasgow for around 25 years.
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A job history, not a career
I qualified as a housing officer in the 90s, and have worked as a writer and editor (specialising in plain English) and spent time as a photographer and videographer. I qualified as a counsellor in 2005 and my personal and professional experience since then has shaped the way I work today, becoming The Life Skills Therapy Guy.
With a recent ADHD diagnosis, I am still learning and striving to create a happier and more fulfilling life. I remain determined to face and overcome life’s challenges and work with others looking to do the same. We all bring a unique blend of circumstances into this world and that is part of what makes therapy such an interesting job for me.
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What you see is what you get
I am far from perfect, and I certainly don’t have everything worked out. I strive to be professional and authentic in how I engage with people coming for therapy. My personality plays an important role in how I work, and I am naturally curious and enjoy exploring patterns and possible solutions.
I offer a supportive environment that welcomes people from all sections of the community.
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A longer version...
I grew up in West Lothian and went to Broxburn Academy. I did OK in school and got good enough grades to get to university. It was the thing to do if you got good Highers!
University was not the best experience overall for me. I did get my university colours for badminton and eventually got a Masters degree that included psychology and politics. My academic performance at St Andrews was lacklustre, to say the least. I was more interested in cups of tea and Kit-Kats with friends than academic activity.
Despite this obvious lack of enthusiasm for academia, I then more or less fell into a diploma course at what was then the Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels where I did industrial administration and marketing. I had no job prospects after graduating from St Andrews, and the course seemed like a good idea at the time.
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The job history begins...
I struggled to get a job after finishing that too but did eventually start with Nationwide Building Society as a Trainee Manager. I quit within a couple of years and moved to Bristol where a university pal had a room to let.
The chequered job history continued from there and I worked for someone I knew in her commercial catering company. After a couple more positions, I got a job as a housing officer with a local council, the main part of the job being rent collection. That job developed into a housing management trainee and I achieved a diploma in housing.
This qualification enabled me to get a move to London to work for Barnet Council. That’s where I started to do plain English and was responsible for tenant information. This opened up the opportunity to become a communications officer, first with Barnet and then with Camden Councils.
The council jobs ran their course, and I decided to set up a plain English writing and editing business. I sold my Camden flat and moved to Glasgow!
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An unexpected turn
Self employment went Ok for a while, but the ongoing dissatisfaction with the world of work as I knew it continued. I began a course in counselling skills as I thought it might help me get a different kind of job while answering some questions about the situations I found myself in time and again during my life.
One course module ran into the next and before I knew it, I had qualified with an advance diploma in therapeutic counselling. Not only did I qualify, but I also remained at the college as a teacher for a time, both for counselling and therapeutic massage (in which I had also qualified). Didn't see that coming!
That was 20 years ago. I have worked to a greater or lesser extent in therapy all that time, both employed and self employed. Most recently, this was alongside working as an information officer for a national cancer charity producing their patient-focused (BMA award-winning) information booklets.
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Hidden challenges
I have always felt a level of dissatisfaction and under fulfilment in my life despite presenting a relatively positive front. I always had a reasonable job (though the type of work changed often), I had my own house and a car and enjoyed having nice camera gear. But I always felt less than good enough.
This underlying feeling likely prompted me to seek some solutions by training as a therapist, though this actually started because I was simply looking to learning counselling skills so that I could once again make a career shift. I could see that I have benefited greatly from this training over the years and yet I still seemed to be missing something.
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Looking for answers
The lockdown situation during COVID-19 felt particularly challenging and I was once again up against parts of myself that just couldn’t handle some of what life was throwing my way.
I was Googling my “symptoms” and initially dismissed some of my research as far-fetched. And yet, it kept coming up that many of the troublesome areas reflected ADHD. My GP also dismissed it at first before hearing me out, at which point he agreed to refer me for assessment.
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A long time coming
As you may know, the ADHD assessment system in the NHS is buckling under the pressure of skyrocketing referrals, and, after three years, I was still a long way from being seen. I decided to go private and was diagnosed at Christmas 2024. I felt vindicated.
I am now going through the process of assimilating the diagnosis and exploring options for medication and other strategies to support the best mental health and wellbeing.
I felt forced to take some time out from most of my work to manage the burn-out I experienced in the run-up to my diagnosis. I have noticed the benefit of having done this.​​
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Now - The Life Skills Therapy Guy
As I continue my practice as a therapist, I notice that the work itself is well suited to how my brain works.
The therapeutic interaction gives me connection with another person, it presents me with the “right degree of difficulty” in its challenges. It gives me an external anchor point and so eliminates my distractibility (at least, during the session), and it release good neurotransmitters that help me feel energised and relaxed.
I am also very interested in the human predicament!
The interactions with clients are actually healthy for me! So, when you come for a session, not only do you benefit from my focus and commitment, but I benefit from it too!
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Worth the effort
As I decompress from years of ignorance relating to how my brain works best (and giving the elbow to “I’m rubbish and it’s all my fault”), I am building in a greater degree of self-care. I walk as often as I can, with a 10k daily step target. I have plans to do more Pilates and Body Pump classes.
I still crash and spend hours or even days in a bit of a slump, but I am more ok with that as it is part of who I am.
My hobbies include photography (featuring on the website), videography and reading Scandi crime. And you can’t beat a good beach walk or hike up a bit of hill to get a wonderful view somewhere in beautiful Scotland.​​
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And finally...
I am looking forward to growing successful counselling and sound therapy practice. I have worked with some amazing people over the years.
I also have ambitions to explore portrait photography and videography as therapeutic tools. I would also like to support people to make the most of their neuro-individuality as opposed to dealing with a "neurotypical" or "neurodiverse" label.
If you are interested in exploring any of this, perhaps you can work with me to develop approaches that can then be applied more broadly. Drop me a message.
I am happy to speak to you informally about how working with me could be beneficial. I look forward to hearing from you.
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