About me

Experience:

It is important to ensure that the counsellor/therapist you choose has appropriate experience so that you feel reassured that they have the skills and ability to use the knowledge they have gained to effect positive change with you. Below, I offer an overview of this for you.

The most important thing about therapy is the therapeutic relationship, and I recognise that. The work we do in sessions is about you, not me, but it is good for you to know a bit about who you are working with.

My name is Neil Gibson and I want to give you a bit of information about myself…

I am from Scotland and am married with two children. I have travelled extensively and believe that we should never stop learning about the world around us. I used to work in the media, travel and tourism, social work, and education. I have therapeutically supported a huge number of people in my career so far and enjoyed seeing change bring positive results. I am fortunate to have worked with children and young people in the care system, people who have behavioural problems, substance use issues, criminal convictions, carers who feel they have lost their identity, adults who may be at risk of harm, hospital patients undergoing significant loss and change, and many other people who are at crisis point and need support. This is not an exhaustive list.

There is no issue that is off limits for me. I work in a way that appreciates your uniqueness, your individuality, and your background – whatever is causing you stress, anxiety, worry or concern, you will have a safe space to deal with it in collaboration with me. Often people cannot pin point what the issue is, and that is why it can be so helpful to speak to a trained professional like myself.

I have been fortunate to have had access to some quality training and education and this has given me a really good understanding of theories of human growth, behaviour and development. I have also taken opportunities to do research and one area I focused on quite significantly was the use of photography as a therapeutic tool. I have written publications in both of these areas and have provided training all over the world on how photography can be incorporated into therapeutic practice.

I like to offer these techniques to clients, but only if they are interested in using creative approaches to explore their issues – it is not a requirement, purely something which can be offered as part of my counselling and therapy.

If you would like to know more about the publications I have produced, please click here.

Qualifications

Here I offer a summary of the qualifications that I have obtained, and which I do find can be helpful in my work with clients. That said, counselling is not about “diagnosing” clients with theories – theories are useful, but they need to be applied at the right time and in the right place. I am a firm believer that the client is the expert of their own life, and I am simply being invited in to assist them at this point in time.

Diploma in Pluralistic Counselling and Therapy (Grounded Learning)

Counselling Skills Certificate (COSCA/University of the West of Scotland)

PhD – Is there a role for therapeutic photography in social work with groups (Robert Gordon University)

Postgraduate Certificate Research Methods (Robert Gordon University)

Postgraduate Certificate in Adult Support, Protection and Safeguarding (University of St Andrews)

Graduate Certificate Practice Learning Qualification (Robert Gordon University)

Postgraduate Certificate in Addictions (Glasgow University)

MSc in Applied Social Studies (Robert Gordon University)

Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (Robert Gordon University)

Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Napier University)