In Person Counselling in Haddington

I have a deep belief in people’s capacity to grow, even through the most difficult circumstances. I can offer you a warm, safe space where you feel at ease to explore what is troubling you and what must change. My focus is on enabling you to find genuine compassion for all parts of your experience, however unwelcome or even frightening. This can be deeply healing. I enjoy working with young people (16 plus) and adults of all ages and a wide range of different life experiences.

I’m Lucy, I'm Director of Lucy’s Place CIC, an NHS Consultant Clinical Psychologist and registered with the HCPC. I recently founded Lucy’s Place CIC because I want to offer people holistic person centred care - a place to recover, connect and thrive! I’m experienced in the treatment of a large range of mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, PTSD and interpersonal problems. My career has focussed largely on complex difficulties, but at Lucy’s Place CIC I am keen to work with anyone that wants gain a better understanding, to make a change in their lives for the better, improve their wellbeing and sense of self.

Do you feel stuck in a particular cycle that is impacting your life and needs to change? Does regulating emotions seem impossible?thinking negatively? have difficultly trusting others or doubt yourself?..Our hope is to offer you the tools, techniques and the inspiration you need towards improving your wellbeing, and encouraging personal growth. Whether you would like some help with anger, anxiety, addiction, phobias, to improve your mood, process trauma or improve your self-esteem. Together we can work collaboratively to help you to make lasting changes which will allow you to improve your outlook and live life to the fullest.

I am a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years experience of working with adults and with young people (12-18) and their families. I have tended to specialise in complex difficulties including self-harm, depression, stress and anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, problems with overwhelming emotions and difficulties in relationships. I have worked with many people with co-occurring autism and mental health difficulties and my work includes post diagnostic support. However I am open to working with any emotional or behavioural problems which are getting in the way of someone doing the things they want to in life.

You may be considering therapy to address specific difficulties such as depression, the impact of trauma, or difficulties in relationships with others, or you may have a wish for personal growth. Therapy recognises the importance of our experiences and our relationships or contact with others and our efforts to manage these. It offers the opportunity to gain an understanding of ourselves, of how we think, feel, behaviour & relate (including with ourselves) & consider change. After almost 30 years of working as a therapist in the NHS I moved into independent practice.

Are you looking to adapt, cope, and manage changes in your health and wellbeing? As a Health Psychologist, I specialise in working with women’s health (e.g., menopause and menstrual conditions), stress and burnout, chronic pain, and managing long-term conditions (e.g., heart conditions, diabetes, chronic fatigue, long Covid, and gut health). Psychological approaches can help manage and reduce symptom severity and help improve overall quality of life, so that you feel less restricted by your health and able to start living a rich and meaningful life. My clients often arrive feeling stuck, or depressed, anxious, and overwhelmed.

At times we can feel anxious, lost inside ourselves, shattered, fragmented and exhausted from trying to be strong. Maybe it's difficult for you to get your bearings and know your sense of direction. Or maybe you are seeking support to get through a particular life event such as a significant loss. Perhaps you are experiencing relationship difficulties, repeating old unhelpful patterns that leave you feeling bewildered. I believe that finding someone who genuinely wants to understand how you feel without judgement is a good place to start.

I hope to offer you a warm welcome to my therapy room. There you will find a comfortable chair with a view of the beach. I welcome clients of all ages 16 years upwards. You may have a specific issue you wish to explore, or come to find a safe space to look more deeply at things that have been troubling you. Life can throw up all kinds of curve balls that can impact in many ways. Coming to talk together can help to make sense out of what can be confusing situations, relationships and feelings. I will meet you with acceptance and give you space and time to explore your options and support your change.

I am an experienced Counsellor / Psychotherapist. My main training is in a humanistic approach and I have added further training over my many years in practice. I have lots of experience across many areas of therapy and client issues but perhaps some of the main issues that I have worked with include Anxiety, Depression & Trauma. I have also worked with many people who have experienced long term abuse both as children and as adults. I have some specialist training in working with Neuro diverse clients and have good experience with Autistic individuals and those with ADHD. I also offer relationship therapy and work with couples.

I work with people who are deeply committed to exploring what might be emerging in you, your longing for a different way that is also authentically aligned with Earth. You may arrive through loss, disconnection, bewilderment, longing, grief, feeling lost, misfit, crisis, trauma, addiction, depression, illness, betrayal, relationship breakdown: something's right! You'll be longing to connect with Nature, come alive, on a Pilgrimage of Soul to your true purpose which includes soulcentric dreamwork, myth, deep imagination, archetypes, art, the unbidden, inner/outer wanders. You will experience an expansion & depth of self.

If you are suffering from anxiety - depression/low mood - stress - anger problems - panic attacks - phobias - low self-esteem - self-harming - eating disorders - post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, including military) - addiction (all kinds) - obsessions (OCD) - sleep problems - relationship problems, I can help. Difficulties can often be resolved within only a few sessions – sometimes just one – and in this way can provide good value for money.

Sometimes life's difficult. Whether it’s an overwhelming crisis, or a slow realisation that things aren't right, we can often end up feeling stuck or that life isn’t what we intended. That’s when counselling can help. As a psychodynamic counsellor, I believe our past experiences often have an effect on our present-day life and relationships, sometimes causing us to get stuck in unhelpful patterns. By working through some of those experiences in counselling it can help us understand how they might be affecting us now and use those insights to make positive changes.

Is everything okay?....... This can be a difficult question to answer. Our default response is often "yes", but deep down, for a lot of us, that's simply not true. Often we struggle to verbalise it, can be exceptionally good at denying it even exists or spend copious amounts of emotional energy keeping it at bay. Perhaps you know why you don't feel okay and perhaps you don't. Either way, I can help. I offer a safe, confidential space to allow you to explore any issues you may be experiencing. "Above all things, to thine own self be true"- William Shakespeare.

Are you struggling with life at present? It may be from a stressful work environment, relationship difficulties or perhaps unresolved trauma from your past. Do you want to be free of the past, less anxious about the future so that you can enjoy your present? I offer counselling and Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR) to clients who want to find joy and peace in their lives. If you are experiencing stress or anxiety at present, if you are struggling with a past trauma then I can help. I believe that the troubles that impact our mental wellbeing can be relieved through the therapeutic relationship of counselling