Essay · April 2026 · 14 min
What private practice teaches you that the NHS does not
Three ways my clinical work is different when the fee is paid by the person in the room, and one way it ought not to be.
A quiet corner of the internet
I write about clinical practice, teaching, and what we owe each other.
I've been a clinical psychologist for twenty-two years and a teacher of the same for sixteen. This site is where the writing that doesn't fit the teaching lives. Eight to ten essays a year; one book, slowly; a quarterly letter.
Nothing on this site is clinical advice. Nothing on this site is medical advice. If the words land usefully, I am grateful. If they don't, you are welcome to leave.
Essays
Four recent pieces.
Essay · January 2026 · 9 min
The forty-fifth minute of a fifty-minute hour
On the quiet that shows up five minutes before the end, and what I have learned to do with it.
Essay · October 2025 · 11 min
Teaching as a spiritual exercise
A draft chapter from the book, which I am publishing here while I decide whether it belongs.
Essay · July 2025 · 16 min
What I mean when I say clinical
An essay for trainees, on a word we use too loosely in the profession.
Work with me
Three forms of work, with a waiting list.
i.
Private clinical practice
Individual therapy sessions in Glasgow or online. I take about twelve weekly clients at a time. The waiting list is usually four to six months.
Join the list →ii.
Supervision & teaching
Clinical supervision for trainee and newly-qualified psychologists. Also teaching sessions for university programmes and NHS trusts by arrangement.
Enquire →iii.
Writing & speaking
Commissions for essays, book chapters and occasional talks. I reply personally to every enquiry but take on very few.
Write to me →
Private practice & other enquiries
Write to me.
Clinical enquiries and other correspondence via the email below. I reply personally; the reply may take up to a fortnight during busy weeks. For urgent clinical need, please contact your GP or Samaritans on 116 123 — this site is not staffed and is not a service.
- Clinical
- [email protected]
- Writing / teaching
- [email protected]
- Address
- Glasgow · for post, please use the office email first
- Crisis
- Samaritans 116 123 — this is not an emergency service