Our Practitioners
Fay McIntyre
About me
Before becoming a therapist, I was the person that thought I didn’t need therapy “what good is talking to a stranger going to do?” … turns out a lot!
I worried my problems were “silly” and that I was taking space from “someone who had it worse off.” When asked how I was, my response would usually be “you know me, I’m always alright” but I wasn’t… I REALLY wasn’t. When I finally acknowledged that I wasn’t ok, I did the ‘unthinkable’… I asked for help.
Now I’ll be honest, I’ve had some unpleasant experiences trying to find the “right” therapist, but when I found someone I connected with, it was a game changer. I hadn’t realised just how much of myself I was avoiding, or the extent of the impact this was having in so many areas of my life. Those experiences shaped me and now that I am a therapist, I want to make sure people feel seen, validated and empowered.
I see therapy as a collaborative and confidential partnership that can help to develop awareness of how you relate to yourself, others, and the world around you. By unpacking thoughts, feelings and behaviours, my aim is to help you process distressing life events, learn about your behavioural patterns and understand the defence mechanisms that may have emerged in order for you to cope with life’s difficulties.
My Specialist Areas Include:
Trauma
Substance misuse
Military mental health (serving and veterans)
Effects of boarding school
Childhood difficulties
Relational difficulties
Anxiety
Self-harm
Abuse
Life struggles
Now for the psychobabble
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I adopt a pluralistic approach within my clinical work and integrate various therapeutic modalities as I believe adaptability is crucial when supporting individuals with diverse lived experiences. This approach allows me to tailor sessions to best meet the unique needs of each client. As a trauma-informed practitioner, I have a solid understanding of how different difficult experiences may influence areas such as behaviour, perceptions of mental wellness, relationships, resilience, and engagement in the therapeutic process. We will work together to build a therapeutic relationship, this often helps to foster a safe and restorative environment for promoting personal growth.
Peter McIntyre
About me
Being born and raised in the mountains of Scotland, to enjoying a full military career spanning over 39 years gave me the opportunity to lead soldiers and teach officers in the UK, Germany, Kuwait and Canada. Once I had retired from the Army and having witnessed soldiers and officers who survived the most extreme conditions with post- traumatic stress and other mental health difficulties prior to my end of service, I retrained to become a therapeutic counsellor. I have seen the abject hopelessness to the outright decadent, which has given me perspective, balance, and a worldly wisdom. I know the importance of having a calm head and a sense of purpose which I bring to my clinical practice. This together with a warm heart, a ready smile and a humble view allows me to meet clients where they are at in their lives.
The mountains taught me humility, the Army taught me focus and both taught me compassion. My time in the Army also highlighted to me that men are often pushed to be unnecessarily macho, which is always, in my experience, a convenient mask that belies the true emotional state of the individual and what it means to be a man. I have learned that emotional vulnerability is a strength, and the macho façade, a burden. I have a huge empathic soft spot for people in general and have an innate ability to recognise the words behind the song. I bring an open and accepting approach to my sessions and the belief that; that which was learned in the past, can be unlearned so you may bring balance to your life once more.
My Specialist Areas Include:
Bereavement
Trauma
Military mental health (serving and veterans)
Relationship difficulties
Anxiety
Depression
Abuse
Life’s difficulties
Spirituality
Now for the psychobabble
I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and have been a qualified, pluralist therapeutic counsellor for over ten years. Though I have a natural leaning toward the humanistic and the psychodynamic methodologies, I still tend to bring my whole self (as a human being) to the party. I am empathic yet energetic, gentle yet deliberate, my aim is to get to the root of the topic at hand efficiently at a pace that suits you. My approach is simply, we work collaboratively with a focus on your pathway to self-discovery.