Meet Andie McPherson

Hello, I’m Andie.

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Thank you for wanting to know a little more about me and my practice.

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I am a BACP-registered integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. You can see my listing in the British Association

of Counselling and Psychotherapy Directory here.

 

I understand that choosing to begin counselling can feel like a big step — sometimes a last resort after finding ourselves stuck in old narratives or with friends and family who can't help. AI may have been useful, but ultimately can't replicate the repair and healing in being witnessed by another human being - authentically and froma. deeply understanding place. I aim to offer this kind of relationship. One where you can get beneath the surface of your own narrative and unpack what is holding you back, keeping you stuck, or preventing you from being more authentic in your valued relationships. 

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I myself came to counselling at a crisis in my life. So I understand the trepidation and sometimes the desperation that drives finding your first counsellor. Now having worked with many first-time clients, I can say counselling is a truly transformative experience for most people.

 

If you are someone who has experience of counselling, my approach as an integrative counsellor means I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches rather than working from a single model. At the heart of my work is the belief that no two people are the same, and that therapy should be shaped around you — your experiences, your relationships, your history, and your hopes for the future.

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No two integrative counsellors are the same. I am specialising in a form of person-centred therapy known as Emotion Focused Therapy but before this have years of continued professional development that mean I'm trauma-informed, focusing on the here and now but with an appreciation of how our past affects us in the present. I'm fascinated by what works in therapy and keep tabs on neuroscientific understanding of how change happens.

 

Counselling with me will feel warm, caring and courageous. You have a champion in me and one who has wholehearted belief in your ability to process hurt and use insights you discover to shape your future positively. Meanwhile, not afraid to be alongside you feel experiences that are pushed away to help you keep going.

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I pay close attention to how different parts of you may be in the driving seat at any one time, informed by past experiences, emotional patterns, and relational dynamics that may be unhelpfully influencing your present life.  I also integrate awareness of the body, emotions, and internal processes — supporting a slowing down, self-acceptance and self-trust as well as a deeper understanding of how you relate to yourself and others.

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I work collaboratively and at your pace, offering a warm, thoughtful, and non-judgemental relationship in which you can explore what’s going on for you. Some clients come to therapy with a clear issue they want to work on, while others arrive with a more general sense that something isn’t quite right. Both are equally welcome.​

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I have experience working with a wide range of difficulties, including self-harm and suicidality, loss and bereavement, relationship breakdown and estrangement, intense fears, phobias and anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, life transitions, and questions of identity or meaning. However, rather than seeing you as a collection of problems, I’m interested in who you are as a whole person, and in what has helped you survive, adapt, and grow. I hold hope when it is hard for you to.​

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I seek to offer a practice that is attentive to power, oppression, and the ways our identities are shaped by social and cultural contexts. I am committed to working with you in ways that are anti-racist and affirming of neurodiversity, disability, and gender and relationship diversity.

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While I may not have lived experience of everything you bring, I approach this with humility and openness. My intention is to create a space that is thoughtful, respectful, and conscious enough to support difference. If you feel drawn to contact me — even where there appear to be differences between us — you are very welcome to do so.

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Above all, I believe that meaningful change happens within a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship and that this is possible regardless of differences of race, age, gender, parenthood status etc. My role is not to tell you what to do, but to walk alongside you — helping you develop greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and choice in how you live your life.

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If you’re considering counselling and wondering whether I might be the right fit for you, I’d be very happy to hear from you.

 

Browse my blogs to find out more about how I work.