Hello and a very warm welcome! My name is Cassie and I am a person-centred counsellor based in Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands.
About me:
I have always been interested in people, in all our messy glory—what makes us who we are, our unique stories, and our experiences.
My own past experiences with mental health support, and feeling judged and not truly understood is what really motivates me. So it is really important to me that I offer a space where you can feel free to really be yourself and be open about your thoughts and feelings, without worry of judgment. At the heart of my work is compassion and empathy so that you feel less alone with your thoughts and feelings. I believe that when you feel truly seen and accepted you can start accepting yourself and begin to grow.
Alongside my own practice I offer counselling to unpaid carers within a third sector organisation so I have experience working with bereavement, loss and struggles with loss of identity. I worked as secondary school teacher so have experience working with young adults and I have also volunteered within a local mental health crisis charity.
How do I work?
You may know exactly what you want to talk about, or may just feel stuck and unhappy and not sure why. And that is ok. Therapy is a space for you to slow down in the rush of daily life, look inwards and focus on yourself.
Person-centred therapy hinges on the belief that you and your experience are unique so my focus is on you: understanding you and your experiences. Our work is tailored to what you want out of counselling and where you are at the moment. I will not tell you what to do or ‘fix’ you but I will hear you and help you delve deeper into your thoughts and feelings. I will also offer another perspective and challenge you. Counselling can bring up a lot of experiences and emotions, but I will be alongside you so that you feel supported as you work out your own way forward. The key to person-centred counselling is in the quality of the relationship so I will always bring my own personality into the room, with warmth and honesty.
Counselling can help to untangle confusing thoughts, feelings or patterns of behaviour so that you can understand yourself better. It can then allow you to develop your relationship with yourself. For some clients that may be increased self-esteem, being better able to hold boundaries or feel able to give themselves compassion. This can then impact on other relationships and into wider life.
I believe that you can find your inner strength.
Who do I work with?
I know that the thought of coming to counselling can be daunting but I offer a warm and supportive space for all, where you are welcome exactly as you are.
Some potential clients worry that the issues they are bringing are too “small” or “silly” for counselling but I do not believe that. We can be too quick to compare others’ lives to our own and no one else knows how much something is affecting us.
I work with individuals over 18, and have worked with clients of all ages experiencing a wide range of issues including self-harm, neurodivergence, identity issues, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and abuse.
I offer face to face sessions in Inverness or online sessions to clients in the UK.