Pregnancy, Prenatal, Postpartum Counselling in Edinburgh

I don’t know if you have ever had the opportunity to share your story where someone really listens. I mean really listens, wanting to know you, your story, your ups and downs. Where nothing is off limits. Space to speak what maybe you’ve never spoken before. Sitting in the counsellee seat is not always easy and opening up to someone you do not know can be daunting. I know that taking that first step requires courage and I would love to walk with you on your journey.

I provide a welcoming and therapeutic environment for adults and young people over the age of 16 who are struggling with a range of mental health difficulties, to help them explore and make sense of the experiences they have had. Through the use of evidence-based psychological therapy I aim to work collaboratively with people to improve their daily functioning and help them build skills to live the life they want to achieve. I use a number of therapeutic approaches in my work including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy and systemic approaches.

My passion for wanting to support mums was borne out of my own difficult journey into motherhood. A challenging pregnancy and a traumatic birth followed by severe postnatal depression and PTSD fuelled my drive to working with mums to make their journeys more manageable and enjoyable. Having worked hard on recovering from this difficult start to motherhood, I went on to train as a counsellor at the University of Edinburgh (MSc) and Chrysalis (Postgraduate Diploma). I have completed numerous trainings on trauma - specifically birth trauma and continue to participate in CPDs to inform my practice as a perinatal mental health therapist

Overwhelmed? Lost? Your past weighing you down? If this is you, you are not alone. Life is tough for us all and it’s no surprise we sometimes feel a bit stuck. My primary aim is to create a safe environment where we can work together to move towards your goals. We will explore, discover and try out new skills and strategies for improvements in the long term.

Mum life! It can be overwhelming, stressful and busy. Some days you just don’t know which way to turn and barely have time for a hot cuppa or anything else for yourself. Add to that the stress of everyday life, comparing yourself to others, body image during or after pregnancy, relationships and anything else that gets added to the life jar, it can feel despairing. Through professional and lived experience, I’ve helped many mums navigate the tricky path and have some breathing space to grow and achieve their desired outcome. I work with anyone from pregnancy, birth and beyond.

I offer pluralistic counselling/psychotherapy through an intersectional feminist lens. I work in a collaborative, non-pathologising way. My services include both open-ended counselling/psychotherapy and time-limited counselling/psychotherapy (12 sessions with an option to renew).

I am a psychodynamic counsellor, also trained in the person centred approach (University of Edinburgh), and ethically focussed. I work with individuals, and have a wide client base but specialise in work with young adults (16-25), parents, and those in life transition. I am a trauma informed practitioner with experience in a wide range of areas including: relationships, loss and bereavement, pregnancy, parenthood, stress, anxiety, depression, self harm, chronic illness, ADD and ADHD, work and life changes. I can offer some concessionary rates to those on low income. I work face to face, and online in short and long term contexts.

I am an experienced Counsellor, Hypnotherapist, BWRT practitioner and Advanced Clinical Supervisor including Online and Telephone Counselling. I have worked across all age groups in a variety of settings. My counselling, Hypnotherapy and BWRT practice is built on expereince and an extensive understanding of child development, special educational needs, adult mental health practice and perinatal care .

Psychotherapist offering support to individuals and couples through baby loss. Supporting women through anxiety and depression throughout the perinatal period , as well as overwhelmed mum’s needing support in how they view themselves and their abilities.

"The effort to become human is among the very few things in a person's life that may over time come to feel more important to him than his personal survival" (T Ogden 1997). I am a professionally qualified and experienced psychodynamic psychotherapist, counsellor and supervisor. I have undertaken extensive continued professional development which has included training in the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life; Therapeutic Assessment; Infant Observation and Therapeutic Supervision. I have a particular interest in the relationship between shame and trauma.

Are you a new parent struggling to cope with the transition to motherhood? Are you feeling disorientated, lost and wondering who you now are since having a baby? Are you struggling to "enjoy every minute" of motherhood and therefore feel there must be something "wrong" with you? Do you feel that everyone around you seems to be moving on with their life but you are still trying to process and understand the journey that you now find yourself on? Do you feel like you are the only one struggling with new parenthood? Do you feel "seen" or understood as a person who has gone through the life-transforming rite of passage of giving birth?

Anxiety, perfectionism, and self-criticism; this triple combo of hurt can stop us from going after the things we really want in life. We can find ourselves trying to distract ourselves from the uncomfortable fear of failing, opting out of things we want to do out of fear, and getting caught up in thoughts about 'what ifs' and 'maybe' until we feel frozen. Or we might push ourselves to the point of burning out seeking the validation we only find when we achieve something driven by a fear of the day we are not good enough. If your sense of self-worth has become tied to 'doing' rather than simply existing, I may be able to help.

We are living in a constantly changing world, where we are exposed to a lot of triggers. It is understandable that you are finding it difficult to cope. Do you know exactly what are the issues you are facing? Or maybe you know there is something that just isn’t right, but could not pinpoint what it could be? Either way, it can be a great starting point for therapy.

My training and practice is most closely aligned with person centred theory. For me this means offering all of my clients a warm, genuine and accepting environment to explore anything and everything that is important to each individual. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, bereavement, eating disorders, health anxiety identity issues, OCD, intrusive thoughts, relationship difficulties, abuse, self esteem, self-harm, anger, exploring sexuality, stress, trauma, work related issues. and personal development.

Are you looking to adapt, cope, and manage changes in your health and wellbeing? As a Health Psychologist, I specialise in working with women’s health (e.g., menopause and menstrual conditions), stress and burnout, chronic pain, and managing long-term conditions (e.g., heart conditions, diabetes, chronic fatigue, long Covid, and gut health). Psychological approaches can help manage and reduce symptom severity and help improve overall quality of life, so that you feel less restricted by your health and able to start living a rich and meaningful life. My clients often arrive feeling stuck, or depressed, anxious, and overwhelmed.

Hello. My name is Anna Shepherd. I have been a Psychotherapist for over 20 years. I offer Art Psychotherapy, Talking Therapy, EMDR and Mindfulness. Seeking help can feel a bit daunting. I offer a confidential space in which you will be supported to explore whatever brings you to therapy. I will meet you with gentle compassion, curiosity, warmth and humour. Meaningful connection will be the cornerstone of our work and together we will find helpful ways to ease whatever distress has brought you here.

Sometimes for whatever reason life can become difficult. Often, we can understand and recognise the reasons for this difficulty. However, there are other times when we don’t understand why we feel troubled – we just know that we do. I believe that in either case talking about it with a trained professional would help. As a trained counsellor I have experience in helping people to process and cope with a wide range of issues.

We all need support and you probably already know this even if you're not sure what it could look or feel like. It might be that you've been struggling alone with an issue or concern or it may be that you just have a sense that things in your life aren't the way that you'd like them to be. Therapy provides a space to focus on you, & allows you to share with someone who is separate from your daily life but committed to understanding you and what you are experiencing. In our work together, I provide a safe and supportive space where you can explore your inner world without judgment.

Hello there, thanks for checking me out. Individuals: Life’s toll can leave us with hurts and regrets. Sometimes we end up so wounded everything loses its shine. Life becomes colourless. We struggle with trauma, anxiety or low mood. By creating a constructive conversation with me, we can work towards healing. Couples: I use emotionally focused therapy to help create a connection between spouses and partners. I explore hurtful cycles of interaction to change them. Together we develop positive cycles to heal the relationship. Families: I specialise in young adults/students and their parents; blended families; alienation; child contact