Further Info / FAQ

Although I’ve been engaged in talking therapies all my adult life I found that in particular creative action based therapies and somatic practice have worked for me best. The founder of Internal Family Systems Therapy, Dick Schwartz says he has ‘undiagnosed’ ADHD. Along with folks like Besser van Der Kolk and Gabor Mate he has been exploring effective trauma therapies for many years. Derek Scott who trained at Keele UK started IFSCA (Canada) and was a SW/therapist in the HIV space before he sought to make IFS practice both more diverse/accessible. I had benefitted from psychodrama groupwork a century old practice that endorses multiplicity and has parts work called ‘roles’ this has helped me come to terms with being gay while living in NZ. I was also interested in internal object relations pioneered by folk likel Melanie Klein, Ron Fairbairn & Donald Winnicott. My social work training was in a Maori, indigenous context, followed by spiritual formation, mindfulness approaches & druid studies. So it feels like IFS brings these ideas together and fits with my psychospiritual worldview without pushing ideas. IFS work was key to my own recovery after sexual assault. Properly used it doesn’t misuse the power imbalance of therapeutic work, (as I had repeatedly experienced when younger), as it doesn’t offer advice on life problems, but rather a process showing people how to grow capacity to work with their own system.

Self Led Sexuality, an IFS Institute training with Patricia Rich Licensed Clinical Social Worker 

Psychodrama Scotland working creatively with trauma weekend, psychodrama in individual work weekend and 2025 residential training in creative action methods.  

The gut brain connection training naturopathic institute Scotland & Nutrition and mental health, Canterbury University

New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists, Adult ADHD, Assessment and Treatment.    

Autism awareness for practitioners, Number 6 service Edinburgh  

Findhorn residential training , collaborative arts with the ‘wheel of consent’ principles 

NHS Scotland, Talking Mats, training for folk with additional communication needs

Synthesis institute, psychedelic trauma therapy ecosystem workshop 

IFS Counselling Association - Safety in IFS Therapy Workshop 

Unconscious bias for professionals - MHTS Scotland

NHS Education Training for Trainers - Mental Health First Aid (suicide prevention)  

Last year I co-led two 3 day weekend retreat workshops for professionals with ADHD in Aotearoa NZ, based on IFS and creative action principles 

I regularly teach supervision skills and deliver supervision to groups of social workers and senior student welfare staff in high schools in Scotland

I regularly facilitate peer supervision for the independent social work consultants group in Scotland

Published a chapter in Routledge international SW supervision handbook

Over last 10 years I have fundraised and co-produced a number of successful conferences for mental health social workers with prominent voices and writers from lived experience community

Written a website on supervision, professional development and staff wellbeing for Scottish Social Services Council

Published research into the quality of online teaching and effectiveness of online client work for final year SW students professional placements during COVID  

Guest lectured on mental health social work and therapy topics at Edinburgh, Stirling and Robert Gordon universities'. 

I participate in the OBOD druid subgroup for mental health professionals 

Was vice chair of LGBTQIA+ charitable board and introduced EDI and conflict resolution policies as well developing the constitution.  

From 2022-2025 Was the board sponsor for trauma informed practice for a large charity supporting people with lived experience of the justice system. 

I have some ongoing involvement with the intersections of mental health, human rights and medicolegal tests to evidence significant harms in the absence of comprehensive treatment

Voluntary group facilitator for the Acer Integration course

Voluntary facilitation of Georgian (Caucasus) polyphonic singing

In the UK, "Social Worker" is a protected title that carries a deep commitment to human rights and social justice. While many therapeutic models focus solely on the individual’s internal world, my training as a Mental Health Social Worker* (means I never look at you in a vacuum. I see you within the systems, cultures, and histories that have shaped you—and sometimes, harmed you.

Social Work started in 1890's (see ‘almoners’). It’s been statutory since 1968 and a protected legal title in Scotland since 2001     

In Scotland there is a minimum standard of a qual equivalent to UK degree in the theory/practice of social work and 120+ DAYS of supervised practice. In NZ my training included counselling/groupwork skills.

In North America, Australia, NZ and many parts of Europe there are specific scopes or Clinical/Therapist designations available to experienced SW trained in talking therapies, but not yet developed in UK.

NQ Lab is aligned with SSSC Continuous Professional Learning, and BASW Capabilities frameworks for Advanced Practice i.e. complexity, professional autonomy, and relationship-based practice.

Growing up in a working-class industrial town in the 80s, I learned early on that "normal" can be a weapon used against those who are different. My own journey through evangelicalism and the complexities of queer identity in a rigid society as well as my experience through early work as a carer, of how people with learning difficulties were treated led me to Social Work—not to enforce rules, but to challenge them.

My approach is rooted in a "Social Justice Lens." This means I am inherently suspicious of social norms that pathologise neurodivergence, queerness, or "non-standard" bodies or non ‘normative relationships.

I am Gender Sex and Relationship Diversity affirming in both my values and practice (see Pink Therapy’s definition below). My practice is broader and specialising in trauma skilled creative and somatic work so I haven’t completed specific GSRD postgraduate training. I don’t think it helps to try to be all things to all people and formal training programmes are often more expensive than university tuition. So if things come up as part of our wider work that’s great and we can discuss if I need to refer you on. For folx who are primarily doing work on gender identity or significantly changing relationship diversity dynamics. I can recommend;

• Chris Sheridan at TheQueerTherapist.com

• Matt Cormack at LiminalJourneys.co.uk

• For couple work - Maud Ray at MaudRay.co