Kirstie Allan

Counsellor & Therapist

(MSc, Prof. Dip, MNCPS Accred.)

For me, counselling is about giving space and time to the wholeness of you.

It rests on the simple, yet too often elusive values of feeling truly seen and heard; where judgement is replaced by deep empathy and compassion, especially for the most challenging parts of ourselves. It is about making greater sense of the here and now – often in relation to the there and then of our past – in a way that facilitates greater self-awareness, self-compassion and a grounded self-confidence in who we are today.

For many of us, enquiry into our inner world can feel challenging – especially if our lives have required that we adapt to protect ourselves in certain conscious and unconscious ways. Working with this challenge is central to determining the shape and pace of each client’s individual journey, making attunement, compassion and empathy paramount. My therapeutic training has been embedded in person-centred and psychodynamic principles, and incorporates attachment theory and parts work (IFS) as cornerstones for understanding. (Please see previous page on counselling and psychotherapy for a more detailed explanation of these). My approach to working with clients is integrative in the sense that parts from each of these modalities become blended as a moving, fluid thing whereby each client’s bespoke experience of therapy is guided by the need of their individual story. The therapeutic relationship built between us will form an anchor to the work and as this strengthens, your capacity to go deeper – to feel increasingly curious about rather than frightened by the narratives, memories and self-limiting beliefs you carry – will become greater.

In this sense, the therapeutic journey itself is like a gathering of resource whereby the tools and strategies needed will organically present themselves with the help of the therapist as guide, witness and container for your storying.  

Prior to becoming a therapist, I have spent many years committed to understanding my own and others’ stories more fully in a range of both personal and professional settings including high school teaching, specialist trauma-informed youth work in education, and third sector engagement. The direction of my work from this point onwards has been as a therapist working with adult clients aged 18+, drawing on the wisdom of my training and learning, and fuelled by my clients’ immense bravery and capacity to speak into the fullness of themselves - however complex their story.  

NCPS Membership type: Accredited

Membership number: NCS21-01006

“Kirstie is an accomplished therapist of personal and professional integrity, who has worked effectively (and creatively) with many clients during her time at the PF.”

Alison Hampton, Director of PF Counselling, Edinburgh