Claire Lamont

It’s difficult to describe the therapeutic process without melting into cliché: The journey, the ups and downs, boats upon the ocean. We fall into cliché because it’s not easy to describe a process that can be unique, challenging, and sometimes just profound. I am an outdoors-y person, so I often think of the counselling experience as a garden. It’s a safe, warm space full of colour, where we can seek out our hidden dark corners, our rough weedy patches that need some more care. We’ll spend time exploring and digging, examining what we find, and sometimes planting anew. I’ll challenge you sometimes, but I’ll let you set the pace.

I am an integrative psychotherapist, so I work with a range of techniques but based around a core theoretical framework drawing on psychodynamic, humanistic and CBT approaches. As you can probably tell, I am open to working creatively. Ecotherapy - working therapeutically outdoors with nature - is a passion of mine, so feel free to ask about this.

The key factor in therapeutic work is the relationship between counsellor and client (increasingly, research backs this up.) I meet each client genuinely, with warmth and without judgement. I work with understanding based on rigorous theory and training, combined with gentle curiosity and a shared sense of purpose. A space to explore, to remember, to renew.

As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, I am currently offering 3 modes of therapy:

- Online via Zoom;

- Face-to-face (with Covid-safe precautions);

- Outdoor sessions.

I've had a lot of experience working online over several years before lockdown and have had formal training in online therapy and coaching.

I am now offering face-to-face sessions at The Whole Works in central Edinburgh. Contact me for further information, or you can get in touch with the reception there and ask to work with me: https://thewholeworks.co.uk/ 

Ecotherapy - which means working therapeutically outdoors with nature, perhaps sitting outside, walking, or even gardening while we talk - is a focus of mine and I have experience in a range of ways of working outdoors, both privately and in agency work, as well as research experience in the field. If this is something you'd be interested in exploring as part of therapy work, I'd be happy to discuss it. I often do this as a 'blended mode' where we can switch to online if the weather is just too grim (we have to be realistic in Scotland!)

If any of this sounds interesting then don't hesitate to get in touch and we can explore what might work best for you.