B.A. Social/Psychology, Dip Social Work, PgCert Advanced Professional Practice, PgCert Health Sciences (Child/Family MH), Cert (Forensic) Cognitive Analytic Therapy. Registered Social Worker (MHO), SSSC #2044949 and a Judicial Member of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland.
My mission is to bring everything I've learnt over 25 years in the industry to the helping professionals around the UK.
I started from my own lived experience and received skilled support from teachers, psychologists and social workers to offer peer support for those with Adult ADHD and related issues with depression and anxiety. After various healthcare and community care support roles during study I had a graduate employee relations role in Glasgow in the late 90s. I went on to do independent training of new supervisors and managers, and supported and trained staff in the voluntary sector. I kept on with staff development and voluntary sector governance roles while also studying and managing and delivering clinical mental health services in Christchurch New Zealand (CAMHS) in the 2000s, and in the 2010’s in Scotland (Forensic, AMPH/MHO) and NHS roles building staff capacity in early intervention with at-risk care leavers.
I more recently had the privilege to be the elected national chair (voluntary) of my professional association (SASW) 
and then took on a paid role as the National Director for Scotland for (BASW). During COVID, for my own wellbeing, I returned to my passion of supervision, staff wellbeing and leadership. More recently, I have enjoyed research and writing collaborations on supervision and digital delivery, national support projects for newly qualified workers and facilitating new supervision practices with principal teachers of guidance and DHTs in highly challenging but inclusive school communities.
I'm a trustee on the board of SACRO, 
innovating in the justice sector and as vice chair of Loud and Proud, Scotland’s first LGBTQI+ choir, which is a great creative outlet and community. In 2022, I completed a diploma with the interfaith seminary in London to further my background of contemplative formation with SEED (NZ), ongoing mindfulness practice & now an exploration of celtic druid mythology with OBOD UK.
After decades of practice, I've co-published book chapters for Routledge on supervision and designed websites on supervision and professional development for national regulators. I’ve delivered training and supervision across voluntary, health and education domains. I’ve co authored multiple in-depth mixed methods research reports on the quality and appropriateness of the online delivery of qualifying training and subsequent professional practice placements, so I have knowledge of the strong evidence for working online and and how to maximise it's usefulness.
I'm a creative, holistic and social practitioner, acknowledging that relationships and managing boundaries are potential sources of both stress/harm and support/healing. This includes the vicarious stress/trauma that inevitably comes from supporting others experiencing distress and adverse experiences. I'm informed by my broad professional background, formal study and CPD in Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Interfaith Studies, Supervision Practice, Contemplative & Druid studies and Creative Action methods.
I actively work your strengths, culture, beliefs, sense of gender, personality and neurodiversity into how we work together. Our working contract is individually negotiated including how much listening vs probing and challenge you wish or are comfortable with and the setting of goals or frequency of sessions and length of work together. I'll use all my hard-won lived experience and professional skills across sectors plus a caring, playful, and nudging approach for you to address the target issues. Supervision will typically suit folk in the people facing and helping professions or are people managers.
This is always limited by disclosures of imminent/serious/significant risks to self or others as governed by professional registration and memberships. We will contract for each situation and more detail is available on request.
I'm a middle-aged, cis white gay man brought up in a working-class environment in Scotland. I was religious and closeted when younger and was in a straight marriage for 15 years and have a wonderful adult son living in NZ now. I lived in NZ for 10 years, becoming a citizen and studied CAMHS and SW courses there including counselling approaches in a traditional Maori marae-based setting. My work in NZ demanded engagement with many Maori and Pasifeka families and communities who due to both institutional racism and poverty are overrepresented in mental health services. I have increased openness to diverse cultural and spiritual perspectives. I've lived with my own mental health challenges and neurodiversity of ADHD & Dyslexia since childhood and have good awareness of those challenges and strategies and some of the discrimination people might encounter.
I have £10M public liability and £5M professional indemnity insurance with BASW UK. Insurance certificates are available on request.
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