Physis Scotland

Physis Scotland Providing excellence in counselling & psychotherapy training. Nationally recognised qualifications.

We provide fun, fascinating and individually focused training in counselling and psychotherapy. We will enable you to become the best counsellor or psychotherapist that you can be.

Skills practice is an important part of the learning on our training - in small groups or 1 to 1. We cover the understan...
13/09/2026

Skills practice is an important part of the learning on our training - in small groups or 1 to 1.

We cover the understanding theory yes, but it’s also about being able to practice applying what we have learned in a safe situation. Beginning to notice what happens when you are with another person, listening carefully, responding in the moment and paying attention to what is happening between you.

You might practise listening, asking questions, staying with silence, noticing when you want to jump in with advice, or reflecting on what you are picking up in the relationship.

It can feel a little self-conscious at first. Most people are aware of being watched, wondering whether they’re saying the “right” thing, or comparing themselves with others. But its about practising, reflecting and getting feedback. You will notice what worked - and what you might do differently next time. Over time, those small practice sessions become part of how confidence develops.

Find out more about steps to COSCA Diploma and beyond on our Foundation Year course page.

physisscotland.co.uk/foundation-year-certificate

Thinking about learning something new this autumn?Our next COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate begins in November. Onli...
11/09/2026

Thinking about learning something new this autumn?

Our next COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate begins in November. Online, Monday evenings 6 - 9pm and open to anyone.

No previous training needed. A standalone qualification at SCQF Level 8 and also a taste of counselling training to Diploma level and beyond.

Link in first comment 👇

10/09/2026

Today, on World Su***de Prevention Day, we have been reflecting on what it means to really talk about su***de.

When someone is thinking about su***de, we can find ourselves focusing on the thought itself. Mabe because it is scary, or maybe because we want to know what to do.

But we wonder, what would it be like to pay more attention to the pain underneath it?

The pain that has become too much. The pain someone might have been carrying quietly, sometimes for a very long time.

It is ok not to know what to say. It is ok to worry that we might say the wrong thing. But what matters the most is perhaps the willingness to ask, listen, and not turn away when someone is telling us how much they are hurting.

This year’s theme is Changing the Narrative on Su***de.

We are wondering, if maybe part of changing that narrative is making more room to talk about pain. To be curious about what someone is living with, rather than only becoming concerned when they reach a crisis. ❤️

***dePreventionDay

You already know how to listen to what sits beneath the surface. What if you could do the same with a team?As therapists...
09/09/2026

You already know how to listen to what sits beneath the surface. What if you could do the same with a team?

As therapists, we're trained to hear what isn't being said. We understand relational patterns, unconscious process, the way old stories shape present behaviour. These are powerful skills, and they translate into organisational work more directly than you might expect.

The difference in organisational work is that the client is the system or organisation. The individual sitting in front of you is also speaking for the team, and the team is speaking for the organisation. Learning to hold all three at once is what makes this its own discipline.

If you've been curious about what organisational work might look like, or wondering whether your therapeutic training could take you somewhere new, Drs Sari van Poelje is leading two free online workshops this autumn in partnership with Physis Scotland.

Link in first comment.

.

Our new academic year began last weekend as our Advanced Year 1 students gathered with their tutor, Hanna Konoplianyk PT...
08/09/2026

Our new academic year began last weekend as our Advanced Year 1 students gathered with their tutor, Hanna Konoplianyk PTSTA (P), and Apprentice Tutor Lisa Cherry-Byrnes Dip TA, Dip Sup. at Drumsheugh Gardens.

Coming together after summer break, the mix of new faces, familiar connections and noticeable absences brought a real sense of transitions and new beginnings.

The first weekend focused on contracting and diagnosis. The students created their new group contract, while also exploring what contracting means with clients and what this looks like in practice.

The weekend also marked an exciting milestone, with two students successfully completing their first stage of the Endorsement to Practice. Congratulations!👏🏻

A fitting start to a new academic year, with plenty more learning, challenge and growth still to come.⭐

What if I haven't studied for years?It is one of the first things people ask themselves. If your last experience of educ...
06/09/2026

What if I haven't studied for years?

It is one of the first things people ask themselves. If your last experience of education was a long time ago, the idea of going back to studying, whether counselling, psychotherapy or something else altogether, can feel daunting.

But training at Physis does not look the way you might expect.

Teaching happens at weekends and is built around a mix of tutor-led input, group work, personal reflection, and exploring ideas together. It is not a lecture theatre. There are no rows of desks. You learn by doing, by reflecting, and by being in relationship with the people around you.

There is academic work outside of training weekends, and that side of things is real. But if it has been a while, you are not alone in that, and there is support available to help you find your feet.

Many of our students come to training after years in a completely different career. What matters is not how recently you last sat an exam. It is whether you are ready to learn in a different way.

Link in first comment 👇

Have you ever sat with a client and realised that what they're bringing isn't really about them? It's about the team the...
05/09/2026

Have you ever sat with a client and realised that what they're bringing isn't really about them? It's about the team they're in, the organisation they work for, the system that shapes what they can and can't do?

As practitioners, we get good at seeing systems. We notice the patterns, the unspoken rules, the dynamics beneath the surface. We just don't always have a framework for working with the system itself.

Organisational TA is its own body of theory. It shares roots with the TA you trained in, but it's built for a different client: the team, the group, the organisation as a whole. It has its own systemic concepts, its own methods of diagnosis and intervention, and its own professional pathway.

If you've wondered what lies beyond the therapy room, Drs Sari van Poelje TSTA(O) is running a free one-hour online seminar with Physis Scotland: Everything You Wanted to Know About Organisational TA and Were Afraid to Ask.

8 October or 16 November, 6–7pm UK time. Online. Free

Physis Scotland and Intact Academy are launching an Organisational Development and Leadership programme in January 2027, led by Sari. Six two-day workshops, Edinburgh and online, leading to the CTA in the organisational field and EMCC Senior Coach accreditation.

Link in first comment 👇

As we get ready to welcome a new academic year at Physis Scotland, we thought we’d turn the usual “what you can expect” ...
03/09/2026

As we get ready to welcome a new academic year at Physis Scotland, we thought we’d turn the usual “what you can expect” post on its head. Because there are some things we simply can’t promise you this year…

💛 That you will always feel confident.

💛 That everything will make sense straight away.

💛 That you will agree with everything you hear.

💛 That you won’t question yourself.

💛 That every training weekend will feel comfortable.

What we can promise is that you will have people alongside you as you learn.❤️

Space to ask questions, explore ideas, make sense of the difficult bits, celebrate the moments when something clicks, and discover more about yourself as a therapist along the way.❤️

You don’t have to arrive with all the answers.

Just come as you are, bring your curiosity, and we can take it from there together.❤️

We are really excited for the academic year ahead and to welcome all our students, trainers and staff back to Drumsheugh Gardens. Here's to growing beyond imagination,together.💗

Our Advanced Diploma in Counselling Supervision returns this October, facilitated by Nicky Worrall TSTA(P). Over 10 days...
02/09/2026

Our Advanced Diploma in Counselling Supervision returns this October, facilitated by Nicky Worrall TSTA(P). Over 10 days of in-person training in Edinburgh, the programme draws on TA philosophy alongside a wide range of supervision models, aligned with the BACP Supervision Core Competencies.

Whether you're an experienced counsellor thinking about adding supervision to your practice, a supervisor wanting more theoretical depth, or a psychotherapist drawn to the particular kind of relational attention that supervision asks of us, this course meets you where you are.

The course is COSCA validated and has Advanced Specialist training recognition with National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society.

Dates: 17th/18th October 2026, 5th/6th December 2026, 13th/14th February 2027, 17th/18th April 2027, 19th/20th June 2027. In-person at Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh.

Link in first comment

Stepping into autumn 🍂There’s something quite abrupt about the end of summer in the north.One minute there are long even...
01/09/2026

Stepping into autumn 🍂

There’s something quite abrupt about the end of summer in the north.

One minute there are long evenings, holidays, lighter mornings and the possibility of another day outside.

Then suddenly the weather turns, the holidays are over, schools and universities are back, training starts again, work gets busy and the usual routines come rushing back in.

We can find ourselves moving straight from summer pace to full speed.

But perhaps we don’t have to.

As the new academic year begins, we gently invite you to notice what this transition feels like for you.

🍁 Are you energised by the return to routine?

🍁 Feeling a little flat that summer is over?

🍁 Excited about what’s ahead?

🍁 Already feeling the pressure of everything starting again?

There’s no particular way you are supposed to feel.

So, as we step into autumn, perhaps we can give ourselves a little more space to adjust. To notice. To breathe. To find our rhythm again.

We don’t have to arrive in September at full speed.

🍁 What would it look like to enter this new season at a pace that works for you?

Let us know in the comments ⬇️

Address

22 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh
EH37RN

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Physis Scotland posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category