My name is Mairi, and I am a fully qualified integrative counsellor, registered with BACP. My work with Alloa Counselling is all on-line.

I have experience working with clients in private, charitable, and school settings. My approach is integrative, with a strong person-centered basis, which means I will use different modalities of counselling to best fit your personal needs and goals.

As well as working with adults on a range of issues, I have also done advanced training in counselling children and young people.
Anxiety, depression, low mood, self-harming behaviors can have a hugely negative effect on all areas of a young person’s life, not to mention the potential effect on future opportunities. Children and young people often find it particularly hard to put their thoughts and feelings into words, and that is why working creatively with this age group is particularly helpful.

Other areas I have a particular interest in are chronic illness and anxiety.

For many people, living with a chronic illness such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can be an anxious and frustrating experience. Fatigue, widespread pain, digestive problems, and disordered sleep are just some of the more common complaints in a long list of symptoms. Dealing with these daily can be very isolating, and for some sufferers, this may lead to low mood, depression and/or anxiety. Talking through these worries and frustrations and exploring ways to cope with the limitations the condition brings can make it more manageable. CBT (a type of therapy which works by interrupting the negative cycle of thoughts, physical feelings emotions and actions, and breaking down overwhelming problems into smaller, more manageable chunks) can be particularly effective. Mindfulness (a practice which helps reduce stress and anxiety by focusing on being in the present moment) can also be very useful as it helps the body to be in a naturally more healing state.

Anxiety is hugely prevalent in society today. Over the last couple of years with all the uncertainty of COVID, lockdowns and associated issues, more and more people of all ages are seeking help to deal with anxiety. I tend to think of the nervous system as being like a smoke alarm- it’s supposed to be there in case of emergencies, it’s part of us, and when it’s doing its job properly, it’s good and it’s healthy. The problem arises when our nervous system becomes over-sensitive and perceives threat and danger everywhere. When this happens our alarm system goes off, flooding our bodies with stress hormones, and causing all those horrible physical feelings associated with anxiety. Once this cycle has started, it’s impossible to stop it using “mind over matter”. You cannot think your way out of anxiety once it is there – it is in our bodies and that’s where we have to start to break it’s cycle. By learning techniques to put our bodies back into a calmer state and feel safer again, we can influence our brains – slowing them down and reducing overthinking and anxious thought patterns.

My underpinning value is respect for every individual’s personal experience, and I am committed to meeting all my clients with openness, acceptance, and compassion whatever they may be going through. The therapeutic journey can be challenging and difficult at times, but the rewards can make it all worthwhile.