Jamie Kinlochan

Jamie Kinlochan aims to give a clear sense of what counselling with him can be like. He strives to provide non-judgmental conditions and follows ethical and professional standards, while recognising that the way he works depends on the relationship he and a client build.

He finds it difficult to capture on a page how a counselling session can be funny, insightful, challenging, scary and deep. Although he is trained and experienced, he is also a person who can take big swings and sometimes land on his face. He is committed to supporting clients, but he is honest that meaningful change often requires confronting things openly.

For Jamie, counselling is a shared journey. Each person who comes to him teaches him something new about resilience, difficulty, hope and the strength that appears when feelings are taken seriously. He has learned that insight and acceptance can arrive in unexpected moments.

He views counselling as a way to discover what is alive inside someone, to find relief from struggle, to challenge the person to say what matters, and to create a place where a person can work out what they want from life and from the people in it.

Jamie is deeply committed to creating a space without fear of judgement. His role is to walk alongside clients with curiosity and respect, listening carefully and helping them identify what matters most right now.

He also engages directly when it feels right, offering challenge and insight only on the basis of what has been discussed and the client’s life. For example, if a client says for three weeks that they hate pizza and then mentions eating a pizza in the fourth week, he will ask what was going on around that change.

Together, he and a client can work on what the client wants to change, what they want to hold onto, and how to get there at a pace that suits them. He prefers person-centred counselling because it allows him to stay with the client without filling the space with advice, guidance and shoulds - he leaves that to influencers, colleagues, friends and family who often mean well but can leave someone feeling hollow.

Jamie brings what he has learned from his own journey and from everyone he has met, which fuels his genuine desire to understand each life on its own terms and his openness to grow alongside clients. He is a gay male therapist who practices from a non-religious, liberal stance and specialises in LGBT issues, family work, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, coping with life changes, relationships and intimacy-related concerns, eating issues, career matters and depression.

His practice is underpinned by a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills and a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Strathclyde. His approach is also informed by a degree in Politics and Social Policy from the University of the West of Scotland, where he considered how social pressures from laws, government policies and the media can leave people feeling judged, shamed and isolated.

He would be glad to meet new clients for an initial session.