Meet the Team
The Simpson House Counselling staff team includes our Administrator and Volunteer Receptionists, a number of employed, volunteer and placement Counsellors, and those staff with Management responsibilities. All these roles support the ongoing work of the project which is delivered at Simpson House and in HMP Edinburgh.
Liz - Administrator
I provide admin support and reception cover for the counselling team and have worked in Simpson House since May 2009. I have previous experience of being a support worker and doing reception work. I’ve also done a little bit of catering - providing tea and coffee is important everywhere!
Volunteer Receptionists
Our volunteer receptionists provide additional reception cover; welcome people to the building and facilitate their visit.
Our Counsellors work with individuals, couples and families who are aged 16 years and above, living in Edinburgh and Lothians and are affected by their own or someone else’s drug use.
Carolyn - Counsellor
I was born and brought up in Sri Lanka, I married and lived in Cambridge for 25 years, where I developed and ran a Complementary Health Centre with my husband. My original training was in Body Oriented Psychotherapy. This included working with groups, relationships and individuals. I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling at East London University in 1996 and in 2008 I achieved the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Supervision. I have 12 years experience of working in a Young Person's Centre seeing clients aged 11 to 25. I spent five years developing and running a Children's Counselling and Play Therpay Project at CrossReach Counselling Lothian. I now work as a counsellor at Simpson House two days a week and am developing a service for young people at Couple Counselling Lothian two days a week.
Daki - Counsellor
I was brought up in
Jane - Counsellor
I work as a counsellor with Simpson House Counselling 3 days a week. I’ve worked as a counsellor for 6 years, and have a Diploma and Masters Degree in Counselling. I counsel individuals and couples, providing a safe space where clients can explore issues of their choice related to the past, present or future and find a way forward that works for them. As well as working with clients in both the Prison and the Community, I help with providing training and conducting research projects. Along with the other counsellors, I assist with the day to day running of the project. I am a BACP accredited counsellor (MBACP Accred).
Morna - Counsellor
I work as a counsellor in Simpson House, I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling and I’ve had experience of working within the health, addictions and homelessness fields. I offer counselling in both the Prison and the Community.
Rose - Counsellor
My original training was in nursing, specifically in the field of learning disabilities. I have been counselling since 2000 within which time I have set up a counselling service for staff and residents in a project for people with learning disabilities, I have counselled and provided group work for carers, provided one-to-one counselling for people with mental health issues, those with general counselling concerns and those affected by drug use through my work at Simpson House in both the Prison and Community settings. I have a Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling and a Certificate in Counselling Supervision. I am a member of the counselling professional bodies COSCA and BACP.
Volunteer & Placement Counsellors
Our volunteer and placement counsellors work as part of the Simpson House Counselling Team; providing counselling under clinical supervision for an agreed caseload of clients.
Simpson House Counselling offers placements to qualified counsellors who want to develop their experience in working with those affected by drug use and to training counsellors studying at diploma level or above.
Sarah Loeb – Senior Project Worker/Counsellor
As well as counselling clients I also manage the placement counsellors who work with the project. I am a BACP accredited counsellor (MBACP Accred) and have been counselling people affected by drug use since 2000. In addition I work as a trainer facilitating a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills for Substance use & Dependency.
I am qualified as a counselling supervisor, and have experience of conducting research including studies on post natal depression and the impact of counselling drug users on low incomes.
My counselling approach is Integrative, based on a belief that we all have capacity to make meaning of our existence. I integrate theories of Psychodynamic, CBT, Gestalt and Person Centred counselling using Personal Construct Psychology (PCP).
Before counselling I worked as a trainer, sexual health worker and with homeless people. As well as my Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, I have a degree in Psychology and a Postgraduate qualification in Community Education.
Vicki Montgomery – Manager/Counsellor
As the manager of Simpson House Counselling I see a small caseload of clients at Simpson House and am responsible for the management of the staff team and the day-to-day running of the project. I have a number of years experience in the fields of Counselling, Addiction and Homelessness. I am a BACP Accredited Counsellor (MBACP Accred) and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Supervision. I use an Integrative approach to my counselling work which allows me to draw on a number of approaches and techniques in working with people to gain a shared understanding of how they see themselves, the world and others in order that we may work together towards the outcomes they desire from attending counselling.
Simpson House
52 Queen Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3NS
Charity No: SC011353