Douglas Caird

I currently offer flexible daytime and evening appointments, Monday to Friday, at my practice in Frederick Street, Edinburgh.

I occasionally offer weekend appointments, although not currently on a regular basis - please contact me to enquire.

I occasionally offer home visit appointments - please contact me to enquire.

I offer a person-centred counselling approach, in synthesis with my extensive experience in holding space and facilitating positive change with my clients, as a complementary health practitioner for more than 25 years. Whether your reason/s for coming for counselling are current, historic, lifelong, affect you sporadically, are a constant in your life, are partially or fully recognised and understood, I can offer you a safe, therapeutic space where non-judgmental acceptance, empathy and authenticity will be at the core of our relationship.

Being heard with understanding creates the conditions where real communication can take place – communication, not just with another, but with ourselves. Such communication leads to noticing, safe sharing and, ultimately, taking the action we require to foster positive change in our lives. Most of us, most of the time, carry around with us thoughts, worries, anxieties, emotions, ideas, secrets, etc. which we would so love to voice, share or off-load – but often don’t or can’t, for fear of offending, worrying or burdening our loved ones and friends.

Holding onto such thoughts and feelings is one of the core reasons why we develop the (often chronic and lifelong) tensions and constrictions which hold us back from blossoming as individuals and which, if ignored, often manifest in physical and emotional imbalances and dis-ease.

My invitation is always for you to feel that you can be entirely “yourself” in the counselling space, that your individual experience, your thoughts, feelings and beliefs can be explored together, in a non-directive, humanistic and supportive way to facilitate positive change in your life. I am trauma-informed and trained to work with individuals and groups through my training with the School of Consent, around relationships, boundaries and consent.

I qualified with a BACP Accredited Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy in June, 2024, having spent the last 25 years or so as a full-time complementary health therapist, working with various bodywork, talk and energy therapies.

Your session will be wholly person-centred, not only in terms of the counselling approach that I have adopted, but in every other way. I encourage and invite you to be in the moment with your experience, your process and your needs. This might involve acting on the need to stand up or sit on the floor, or asking for a hand to be held, as examples.

In fostering our relationship, change can be expected and is welcomed, always with its core in respecting the need for consent and mutual agreement in setting our boundaries. By setting boundaries together in this way, as our relationship grows and develops in the moment, rather than being restrictive, such boundaries become a clear and safe space for creative exploration.

If felt to be in the interest of positive therapeutic change, and with your agreement, I may suggest integrating elements or aspects from the toolbox of my wider training and experience. You can view my full list of training and experience on my website.

In order that we can establish some idea as to whether we may be compatible to work together, or not, I offer a comlimentary 20-30 minute enquiry call or meeting. This can be conducted by telephone, online, or in-person at my practice. There is no obligation to make a booking following this chat.

This is preferred, but not mandatory.

I would encourage the use of the booking enquiry form on my website, where the option to request an enquiry call/meeting is presented, as is the opportunity to give a brief description of the reason/s for seeking counselling.

A first session is often an opportunity for us to begin get to know each other, to get a sense of one another and for you to perhaps share some background information. However, whatever you bring, in the moment, in this or any other session, is what we will hold space for. There are no rules or expectations in this respect. If you come and find you have nothing to say, we will hold space, together, for that.