Natural Space Counselling
Natural Space Counselling
Pluralistic Counsellor & Psychotherapist
Nature based and creative therapy in Tayside & Fife
NaturalSpaceCounselling@protonmail.com
07768 426194
Welcome
I am Nova, a pluralistic counsellor and psychotherapist specialising in nature-based therapy and creative counselling. I work mainly with young people and adults. I am a registered counsellor member of COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland), practicing within their ethical framework.
Pluralistic therapy is deeply rooted in person centred principles. It involves working collaboratively to explore what you would like from therapy, and thinking together about ways of working which appeal to you. This creates an experience tailored to your specific needs. You are the expert on you.
I offer face to face sessions from my therapy room in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and from client chosen outdoor spaces across Fife and Tayside. This can be a green or blue space, perhaps a woodland, park or coastal path - somewhere you feel at ease, which is accessible for you, and not too busy. We can also work online or by telephone if you prefer.
Working together
Stepping into therapy can be challenging. Meeting someone new, making time, anxiety about expectations, judgement, and sharing parts often held tightly. I have been there, and for me the therapeutic relationship is key. I believe we each hold our own answers and therapy is an act of self-care, an investment in ourselves.
When we first meet we will discuss your personal preferences. If we agree to work together then we arrange the time (and place) for sessions, and agree our therapeutic contract. I aim to provide a comfortable, confidential and holding space which is free from judgement for all my work. In the early stages our intention will be getting to know each other, and building a space dedicated to you which feels safe enough.
You may decide to work in a combination of ways, or to transition from one way of working to another.
Why therapy?
When people decide to engage in therapy it's usually because life right now, and how they are feeling, are not the way they want them to be. It may be that their usual strategies aren't helping. Working through issues in therapy can inspire richer insight and facilitate meaningful change.
Perhaps you are finding it difficult to make sense of your every day experience, or how it may connect with your past. People come to therapy for many different reasons, they are as unique as we are. Whatever you are feeling you are welcome here, come as you are and we will work at your pace.
Below are some areas I am experienced in supporting people with:
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Neurodivergence
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Trauma
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Identity
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Stress & overwhelm
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Relationships
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Gender, sexual & relationship diversity (GSRD)
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Care experience
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Confidence & self esteem
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Isolation & loneliness
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Feeling stuck
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Grief, transitions & loss
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Anxiety
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Chronic illness
About me
I always felt a deep affinity with nature, and I experience solace and healing by spending time outdoors and engaging in creative practices. Being outdoors in the natural world affords me space and calm to feel grounded and connected. It helps me to regulate, allows me to move my body, connect with my emotions, to ponder and to process. My creative pursuits enable me to experiment, focus, relax and to express myself, while fulfilling many of my sensory needs.
Different approaches and methods have guided me through life. My experiences steered me towards nurturing nature connectedness in my learning and work, but I value and acknowledge the significant benefits which a variety of therapeutic approaches and practices offer.
My professional experience includes holistic therapies, expressive arts, child development, outdoor play, trauma, attachment, and personal development. As a dance teacher and holistic therapist I began work as an Outdoor Early Years Practitioner in 2009, later supporting children and families in the substance use field. I provided specialist intensive therapeutic support, blending nature based interventions with trauma informed systemic practice to promote positive change.
Later, while supporting ‘wilderness based’ personal development programmes I studied pluralistic psychotherapy; a collaborative, integrative approach which assumes that different clients may benefit from different therapeutic methods at different times.
As an experienced outdoor facilitator, wellbeing and creative mentor I have provided training, consultancy, and groupwork in Outdoor Education, Therapeutic Outdoor Work, Nature Connection and Creative Activities for community, education, statutory, and third sector organisations as ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’ and ‘Creative Natural Space’ for over a decade.
My core Pluralistic training included Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Person Centred and Psychodynamic modalities enabling me to blend an evidence based approach with my relational therapeutic style.
I work mainly with young people and adults. As Senior Outdoor Therapist in a third sector agency I supported the launch and development of an Outdoor Therapy service for children and young people. I am also experienced in counselling veterans, neurodivergent individuals, and people who have experienced trauma.
My therapeutic approach weaves together my passion for the natural world and a relational therapeutic process with creative ways of working, mindfulness, and a compassion focused lens.
I am committed to holding an anti-discriminatory, trauma informed, and neurodivergent affirming space.
What is Outdoor Therapy?
Outdoor, or Nature Based Therapy relates to the interactions between 3 different elements - the client, the therapist, and nature. The outdoor space itself becomes a part of the therapeutic process, and it can be a catalyst, as nature (often spontaneously) brings additional elements into the therapeutic work. Depending on your needs, preferences and location, outdoor therapy can offer great diversity to meet you where you are at.
A holistic approach........
Outdoor Therapy or Nature Based Therapy embraces and enhances your emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. Together all of these elements can improve overall mental health and enhance therapy outcomes.
I risk assess all spaces chosen for outdoor therapy.
Creative Counselling
Creative counselling involves prioritising your preferences, interests and needs.
Different techniques and methods can be used within talking therapy to support the exploration, expression, and processing of your experiences and emotions.
Creative approaches are helpful when finding words is difficult or feels unnecessary, and in processing and healing at deeper levels. Sometimes words are not enough. Working creatively can help us to access the unconscious, to work with the senses and with the body, and to release, process, or integrate our experiences in a more complete way.
Creative ways of working are simultaneously gentle and powerful. There is no requirement to be ‘good at art’ or consider yourself creative for creativity to support your process. In fact, we are all creative, and sometimes being logical can leave us feeling ‘stuck’ in our head and our thoughts. Creativity enables expression and connections. Working creatively can allow feelings or experiences to be externalised, leading to new perspectives and deeper understanding.
Creativity is present in numerous ways of working and can include imagery, art, sand, writing, movement, photography, metaphor, dance, visualisation, poetry, music….....
What is SandStory Therapy©?
SandStory Therapy® offers a gentle, safe and unique way of using sand and symbols in a contained tray to support your process ... so that you can 'tell your story in the sand'; whilst encouraging a respectful and sensitive dialogue between the unconscious and the conscious so that the wisdom from within is heard, seen and experienced. In turn, this is taken into daily life and natural, very organic shifts occur.
It has deep roots in the narrative tradition of Storytelling, Sandplay (Dora Kaiff) and Sandtray Therapy. The latter developed by Margaret Lowenfeld in the early part of her work in the 1920's.
SandStory Therapy® is suitable for children, young people & adults.
Professional Memberships & Insurance
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Counsellor member of COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland). Membership no: 5050, working within their ethical framework.https://www.cosca.org.uk/application/files/1915/2119/7097/Statement_of_Ethics_CURRENT_Nov_1412-08-14.pdf
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Member of the IOL sector specialist group AOT- (Association for Outdoor Therapy) https://www.outdoor-learning.org/community/sector-specialist-groups/association-for-outdoor-therapy.html
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Member of the International SandStory Association [ISA]
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PVG Scheme member in respect of regulated work with children and adults.
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I am committed to attending regular supervision and continuous professional development in the enhancement and development of my practice.
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I am fully insured with Balens Ltd for my client work, Birnbeck for additional outdoor practices, and Hayes Parsons for Etsy trading.
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I am registered with ICO (the information commissioners office). Registration number: ZB659887.
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If you need to make a complaint, you can contact my professional body, COSCA here: https://www.cosca.org.uk/guidance-policies/complaints/complaints-general-information
Many ways of being, and many ways of working...
Diverse ways of being and ways of working emerge in session to support meaning making and processing, depending on what is needed - stillness, movement, metaphor, symbolism, working with parts, the elements, creating, tasking and playfulness...
Individual Therapy
I provide face to face counselling from my therapy room in Broughty Ferry, and in client chosen outdoor spaces across Fife and Tayside. I offer one-to-one online and telephone counselling within the UK. You may decide to work in a combination of ways, or to transition from one way of working to another.
Groupwork
I facilitate experiential workshops and therapeutic groupwork.
Workshops include nature connectedness, wellbeing, working with pebbles, creating nature medicine dolls.
Training & Consultancy
I offer consultancy, training, team development and capacity building to support nature based and creative therapeutic wellbeing provision.
Extended Outdoor Therapy Sessions
In addition to the regular weekly or fortnightly therapeutic hour,
I also offer more immersive outdoor therapy one-to-one experiences.
These take the form of less frequent, but regular
(for example fortnightly or monthly)
extended outdoor therapy sessions of 3-5hrs.
These sessions cater to different practical needs, and offer a wide range
of additional benefits.
They allow more time to build the therapeutic relationship and a shared understanding; the most important aspect for positive outcomes in therapy. They also provide greater opportunities for nervous system regulation, and allow a much gentler processing pace.
Longer sessions give more time devoted to you both in and with nature. This enhances opportunities for opening up, for noticing how nature reflects our inner worlds, and to experience how nature supports us in its role as co-facilitator. These sessions can provide focus and momentum to work through specific issues.
Extended sessions provide more space and time to connect, to heal and to explore through a variety of means. They might involve walking, sitting, being seated or lying in hammocks, perhaps building and sitting by a campfire, or even creating using the natural resources around us.
Together we will discuss and structure these sessions to support you. These sessions may form part or all of your unique therapy journey.
You might decide to start therapy, or to bring therapy to an end with an extended session in nature, they add to the menu of therapeutic options available to you.
Qualifications & Training
2025 - Registered SandStory Therapist©
2024 - FAA Level 3 Award in Outdoor First Aid (RQF)
2024 - Counselling Children & Young People, Understanding Adolescence (Susan Maciver HDS)
2024 - TQUK Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Autism (RQF)
2024 - Decider Skills Training for clinicians - CBT/DBT based skills. CAMHS.
2023 - Diploma in Pluralistic Counselling & Psychotherapy (COSCA/SQA)
2023 - MBT Skills Training (Mentalization Based Therapy), MBT Scotland.
2023 - Trauma Enhanced Training Level 3. Epione
2023 - CPCAB Facilitating Therapeutic Groups
2022 - CPCAB Walk & Talk Counselling and Ecotherapy
2022 - Supervising/Leading First Aid for Mental Health Level 3
2021 - Choice Theory Basic Practicum
2021 - COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills
2020 - Choice Theory Basic Intensive Training
2020 - Transactional Analysis 101
2012 - SVQ 3 Children's Care Learning and Development
Continuing Professional Development
2024/2025 - SandStory TherapyLevel 1 16+23/01/25 - CPC Multi Agency Child Protection Processes, (14hrs) 03/12/24 - Trauma and the body: dissociation & somatisation. Carolyn Spring (6hrs) 28/11/24 - Disability Awareness Training. (1 day) Able 2 Adventure. 15/11/24-16/11/24 - Pluralistic Conference 2024: A Pluralistic Approach to Trauma – Multiple Perspectives (1.5 days) 27/10/23 - Autism Dialogue Unmasked! Workshop with Jonny Drury and Kate Salinsky. (1hr) 27/10/23 - Understanding Mother-Daughter Attachment Workshop with Rosjke Hasseldine. (2hrs) 20/10/23 - The Wonderful World of Parts Work: The Fundamentals Workshop with Kate Williams. (2hrs) 20/10/23 - Using Chair Work Effectively with Clients Workshop with Vassia Sarantopoulou. (2hrs) 21/08/23 - Working with Trauma – The Fundamentals with Kate Williams. (2hrs) 21/06/23 - Celebrating Neurodivergence: Panel of ND Therapists Share Lived Experience. (2hrs) 06/06/23 - Embracing Suicidal Parts: Using Internal Family Systems (IFS) to Heal Traumatic Wounds. Frank Anderson MD.(1.25hrs) 04/06/23 - Counselling Autistic Clients. Counselling Tutor. (1.5hr) 04/06/23 - Working with Autism. Counselling Tutor. (1.5hr) 02/06/23-03/06/23 - International Conference on Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy. (2 days) 21/04/23 - Neuro-Diverging Therapy: Reimagining Person-Centredness When Working with Autistic Adults. Erin Stevens (1hr) 21/03/23 - Safeguarding 16-25 year olds. NSPCC 23/10/22 - A Pluralistic Approach to Therapy with Mick Cooper (7hrs) 22/10/22 - The Tribes of Person Centred Therapy; Celebration of Diversity & Difference with Mick Cooper (7hrs) 19/10/22 - An Introduction to Online & Telephone Counselling. Counselling Tutor (10hrs) 16/09/22 - Working at Relational Depth with Mick Cooper. Pesi (6hrs) 15/08/22 - Therapeutic Use of Person Centred Creative Arts (2hr) taster session 01/07/22 - An introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model: Step-by Step Procedures for Healing Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction & more. Alexia D. Rothman, Ph.D. (7hrs) 07/06/22 - Engaging with Supervision. Counselling Tutor (1.5hrs) 15/05/22 - Link Theory to Personal Development. Counselling Tutor (1.5hrs) 04/04/22 - Working with erotic Transference & Counter Transference. Counselling Tutor (1.5hrs) 26/02/22 - Using Fairy Tales in Therapy an Introduction. Dr. Libby Nugent (3.5 hrs) 17/01/22 - Fairy Tales & Therapy. Dr. Libby Nugent (1.5 hrs) 10/01/22 - LGBT Awareness. LGBT Youth Scotland. 29/10/21 - NSPCC Child Protection *Pre 2020 incl: regular outdoor first aid, CP/safeguarding, E&D, NVC & reflective practice groups, evaluation tools & inhouse training. 06/03/20 Trauma Skilled Practice. Lindsay Irvine Trauma Counsellor (6hrs) 2019 - Stimulants and Harm Reduction Training. SDF (1 day) 2019 - Supporting Children & Young People who internalise their distress. Jan Montgomery (1 day) 2018 - See me not my mask. Working with Childhood Sexual Abuse. KASP (7hrs) 2018 - Acute harms and management of depressants. Neptune RC Psych 2018 - An introduction to club drugs and novel psychoactive substances. Neptune RC Psych 2018 - An Introduction to Play Therapy. With Kids.org (6hrs) 2018 - Collaborative Working, Risk, Community Alcohol Detoxification. NHS (2 days) 2018 - A Day with Dan Hughes PHD SAIA Annual Conference 2018 2018 - Virtual Rehab Day. Phoenix Futures 2018 - Overdose Awareness and Naloxone Training. Addaction (1 day) 2017 - Safe & Together Model - Approach to Domestic Abuse & Child Protection (4 days) 2017 - Attachment Based Practice with Adults - DMM. Clark Baim (3 days) 2017 - Trauma Informed Practice. SAIA Scottish Attachment in Action (2 days) 2016 - Attachment Training. Suzanne Zeedyk (1 day) 2016 - Childhood Sexual Exploitation Level 1. Barnardos (1 day) 2016 - Children affected by Parental Incarceration CAPI (1 day) 2016 - Mindfulness Based Stress Resilience Practitioner Course. NHS (4 days) 2016 - V.E.R.P. Level A video enhanced reflection on practice. AVIG uk (various) 2016 - Condom distribution & fast tracking into sexual health NHS BBV Dev Team 2016 - Solihull Approach Foundation Training (2 days) 2016 Solihull Approach Plus - Understanding Trauma (1 day) 2015/2016 - Emotion Works Practitioner Qualification (various dates) 2015 - Responding Early to Children Affected by Parental Substance Misuse. STRADA (2 days) 2015 - Why People Need People Attachment Based Approach. Kate Cairns Associates (2 days) 2015 - Kitbag for schools and families CAMHS/IFF (1 day) 2015 - Helping Children to Flourish. CAMHS (1 day) 2015 - The Liver, BBV’s & HIV. NHS BBV (1 day) 2015 - “Leading into Wellbeing: The Power of Mindsight Conference” with Daniel J. Siegel, MD (2 days) 2015 - Play@Home Training. FHWA (1 day) 2015 - Focusing Training:Psychotherapeutic process. Safe Space (4 days) 2014 - Supporting & Understanding Behaviour in Outdoor Settings Nature Nurture/NESOLG (7hrs) 2014 - Parental Capacity and Substance Misusing Families STRADA (1 day) 2014 - Five to Thrive brain development & positive parenting. Kate Cairns Associates (2 days) 2014 - Introduction to Children’s Rights. Barnardos (1 day) 2014 - Children & Families Affected by Parental Substance Misuse STRADA (2 days) 2014 - Promoting Positive Behaviour. Barnardos (1 day) 2012 - Storytelling - Starting with Stories 2 (TRACS) 2010 - The Art of Mentoring, A weekend of practical Nature Connection tools for educators 2010 - Level 2 Using NVC with Children and young people (2 days)
Fees
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60 min Individual Counselling session, in person, online or by phone: £60
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60 min Outdoor Therapy session: £60
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60 min SandStory Therapy© session: £60
Extended Outdoor Therapy Sessions:
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3 hrs £180
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4 hrs £240
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5hrs £300
* Extended session cost includes risk assessment, all resources/materials (except clothing) and refreshments/snacks.
* Please note that Outdoor Therapy may (not always) incur an additional cost for travel depending on location, this is discussed and agreed during initial contact (max. £10).
* Fees for workshops, training and consultation vary, please contact me to discuss your needs.
* I have a limited number of spaces offered on a sliding cost scale.
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