About Fiona Firman

My name is Fiona Firman. I established Chrysallis Counselling & Psychotherapy in 2010, which is a small practice based in Edinburgh offering independent & confidential counselling & psychotherapy for individuals & couples.

I offer face to face counselling & psychotherapy, & counselling for couples. I also offer a range of other services including: individual telephone counselling, therapy & psycho-educational groups, & business consultancy. In addition, I am a qualified supervisor, & offer clinical supervision to both trainee & qualified counsellors & psychotherapists.

Counselling, psychotherapy & relationship counselling are helping processes involving a confidential talking relationship between the therapist & client. In a safe, respectful & confidential environment I can support you to explore & understand your thought processes, behaviours & feelings, enabling you to manage your life more effectively & satisfactorily, as you discover more about yourself, other people & the world.

I was born in Northern Ireland & studied at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, obtaining a BA Honours degree in Humanities. I have lived in Edinburgh since 2002 & have worked in the field of mental health for over 14 years gaining an extensive range of experience. During my career I have worked within the private & voluntary sectors, gaining substantial knowledge & experience in working with people who experience severe & enduring mental health difficulties, & working with adult survivors of childhood trauma &/or abuse, as well as anxiety, depression, self harm & addictions.

My training, work experience and any achievement

I trained to be a psychotherapist having first come to therapy as a client & experienced the profound benefits in my own life. I began retraining as a counsellor/psychotherapist in 2005, & have acquired over 3000 hours of clinical experience in working with & treating a variety of presenting issues including:

anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, stress, panic attacks, assertiveness, anger management, relationship difficulties, work-related problems, bereavement, self-harm, eating disorders, sexual identity problems, addictions, personality problems, survivors of trauma, abuse & violence.

I have specialist training & considerable experience in working with & treating anxiety, depression, eating disorders & survivors of trauma, abuse & violence.

I am a qualified counsellor, psychotherapist & supervisor, holding a Masters in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy from Middlesex University & a Post Graduate Diploma in Transactional Analysis from Queen Margaret University. I also hold a Diploma in Transactional Analysis, which is validated by COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland). Furthermore, I am a Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA), with psychotherapy as my chosen field of application.

I hold a Certificate in Counselling Supervision, awarded by Physis Training in Edinburgh. I am currently working towards my Diploma in Counselling Supervision, & hope to complete it in October 2016.

I have completed four years of post graduate training and professional development through The Counselling and Psychotherapy Training Institute (now Physis Training Ltd).

I’m a member of UKATA (UK Association for Transactional Analysis) which is an organisation registered with & overseen by the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy)

I am a UKCP registered psychotherapist (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy).

I am a member of the Scottish Transactional Analysis Association (STAA), which seeks to promote TA in Scotland. I am currently an STAA committee member and joint treasurer.

I hold an ongoing training contract with EATA (European Association of Transactional Analysis)

My practice is supervised according to the UK Association for Transactional Analysis & UKCP. I attend ongoing personal therapy, training & professional development. Furthermore, my practice is fully covered by professional indemnity insurance provided by the Psychologist Protection Society, who are based in Alloa.

Further Information

I have a special interest in working with people who have a Borderline process and/or are formally diagnosed as having Borderline Personality Disorder.