Fingal Dorman

I am available on Tuesdays.

Often we don’t feel able to live as we would like to. We might feel stuck or anxious. We might have experiences that feel hard to cope with, think about or process.

I offer accepting and collaborative therapy to explore what is going on for you, whatever that might be, and to help you find a way through.

I am a qualified, experienced and accredited counsellor based in Edinburgh. I am trained between person-centred and psychodynamic approaches and draw on both of these in how I work. This might mean coming closer to what you are really feeling in the moment, including the bits you don’t quite understand. This might connect you with your past experience and how it affects you today.

I find this can be a creative process, being open to things about ourselves we weren't aware of before and finding ways to make sense of them.

I work interactively – this is something we are doing together. I work with an awareness that all parts of ourselves are connected, though they often get separated. For me, this means paying attention to our bodies, minds and emotions. It means being aware of our relationships, social context and environment. We may or may not talk about all these things, but I believe they are present.

I work both short and longer term and we can discuss what would be most helpful for you.

I have a background in mental health Collective Advocacy, facilitating projects in which people with lived experience of mental health difficulties (specifically psychosis and personality disorder diagnosis) could have a stronger voice and work for change. This activist perspective of mental health being linked to wider society and the world around us, rather than only being an individual matter, has strongly informed my work.

I am available for counselling sessions on Tuesdays. I work in Edinburgh from a counselling room near Meadowbank, on the edge of Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat. This is a flat that has been adapted into counselling rooms and has a relaxed and quiet feel. I am also able to offer sessions online or by telephone when required.

If you are interested in working with me as your counsellor, please get in touch.

We would arrange an initial session to discuss your situation and what therapy with me might be like.

Please note there are stairs to my counselling room so unfortunately I am not able to provide disabled access.

I am registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and was awarded their accreditation for experienced practitioners in 2019. I work by their ethical standards.

I also work in student counselling at the University of Edinburgh. This means I am not able to work privately with University of Edinburgh students, though I can see students from other universities.

After you make an enquiry, we would usually arrange an initial session to discuss what you are looking for from counselling and how I work. 

This is a chance for us to meet each other and decide whether to continue working together. You may want to have an initial session with more than one counsellor to find the right person – this is fine with me. Initial sessions with me are charged at the usual rate.

If we decide to work together, sessions are once a week, for 50 minutes.