A confidential adult counselling & psychotherapy service. Sessions can take place online using Zoom, or in person. All counselling is trauma informed and respectful of diversity and neurodiversity. See below for an example of the counselling process.
Online supervision will be available from Summer 2025. This is offered to trainee and fully qualified counsellors. Five free supervision sessions are being offered to the first three supervisees to book in
between March and October 2025.
Meetings, workshops and events are planned to take place throughout the year in-person & online. Click on events to keep an eye on what's coming up and for details of how to book.
Anna McNamara - Insight Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer
Welcome friend. I’d like to share with you a bit about the vision and values that drive my work at Insight Scotland. For over 20 years I have been dedicated to helping adults, young people, families and communities build their confidence, skills and self awareness in order to live a more hopeful, empowered and self determined life. Working professionally in the fields of community learning, international development, education and mental health has given me broad insights and experiences which inform my work today as a counsellor, psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor.
And like most people, my journey has had its share of personal trauma, struggle and loss. But it has also been one of deep reflection, learning and personal growth - gained from the benefits of my own time in therapy and the love of the people in my life who have stayed with me through it all. I have experienced first hand the power of therapy; of sharing our stories, to process life events, face our fears and learn about ourselves and our relationships. Our relationship to ourselves and others are at the heart of everything. Therapy can help gain insight into this and the patterns and responses which cause us to feel trapped, anxious and unhappy. And maybe by doing so you will begin to discover a new way is possible. Whatever the next step for you, your journey has brought you here - and I am genuinely glad of that.
Before formally starting working together, a short meeting will take place. This is a 20 minute online consultation which provides an opportunity for us to meet and for you to tell me a bit about yourself and your needs. It also offers space to ask any questions and to negotiate our working agreement.
There are many ways in which we can work together and there is no fixed order. You might prefer to start by talking about your life experiences and the things that have brought you to counselling. It can help just to have some space to be listened to non-judgementally and to hear your experiences reflected back as you make sense of things. This is where connections and insights find a way to break through.
You might then choose to set some specific goals and agree some steps that you might then work through in therapy.
It might also be helpful to explore the different parts of your own inner experience, for example relationship or conflicts between thoughts, emotions and behaviours, and to bring to awareness any areas which are unrealised. You might benefit from exploring and understanding your felt identity and the external influences and environments which have impacted on you. In this way you can understand and affirm your deeper values to help support the choices you make and to pave the way for personal boundary setting and assertiveness.
Whatever your preference, my role is to offer a therapeutic approach that meets your needs and aims for therapy.
You may only be wanting short term counselling or be looking for longer term work. In any case, I normally review our work every 6-8 weeks to check in with how things are going for you and to agree together any changes to the work, review or add new goals or decide any next steps. Endings in therapeutic relationships are important and, where possible, we would discuss and plan this together when the time seems right.
It is important to me to try and be flexible and accessible to as many people as possible from a range of different circumstances. If you have a special requirement, please let me know and I will try and meet it where possible. I have a limited number of counselling concession rates for individuals with low incomes.
Personal, supportive, guidance. Anna has been insightful and empathetic and has helped me understand truths about myself. These have made me more resilient to crises and able to appreciate good times.
Client
My counselling session with Anna is special. It's where I'm safe and supported. It's where I can be me and talk about my deepest fears and sorrows. It's where I get the confidence to carry on.
Client
This has been my first venture into counselling. In the beginning I was nervous, but Anna had a really warm and kind approach to helping me deal with my initial issues. She has subsequently supported my personal growth by giving me the space, time, and most importantly, encouragement to develop my self-esteem.
Client
The space that has been created has become one that is important to me as it's where I feel listened to, understood and safe. Anna is down to earth, non-judgemental and is attentive to my feelings, emotions and needs during the sessions.
Client
