Welcome to

John Soutar Counselling

Lunan Bay beach near Montrose in Angus

Counselling and Psychotherapy in Brechin, Angus and Online via Microsoft Teams

Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website.

The prospect of seeing a counsellor can be daunting and selecting which one will work best for you can be tricky to navigate.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have and I’ll try my best to help you find the best option for you. If I feel I am not the right counsellor to help with your particular issue I will try and help you find an alternative solution.

I am a compassionate and empathetic practitioner and tailor my therapeutic approach to meet your individual needs and preferences of. I offer a safe space to collaborate and with an MSc in Pluralistic Counselling can employ a variety of therapeutic techniques such as:

Counselling and Psychotherapy

Mindfulness Based Therapy

Compassion Focussed Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Person-Centred Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Gestalt Therapy

Narrative Therapy

Emotion Focussed Therapy

Somatic Therapy

Solution Focussed Therapy

I prefer to discuss the range of suitable therapies available to you to enable collaborative decisions around which approach would work best for any difficulty or situation. I prefer to work with adults from 16 years onwards. I place great importance on recognising the uniqueness of each individual and take care in building rapport and a warm safe space to engender a supportive relationship to enable therapeutic change.

Counsellor in Brechin, Angus and Online

I firmly believe in the compassionate and non-judgemental nature of counselling and have worked hard to develop my active listening skills with 30 years public service in the emergency services and helped in a range of ways with the difficulties that trauma can bring to families.

For the past 5 years I have been working with the mental health charity Penumbra supporting families in the field of suicide prevention and worked with the NHS delivering Distress Brief Intervention support through the 111 service.

I am keen to support anyone looking for counselling across the range of issues mentioned in the website. I have had my own experience of prostate cancer and would like to offer support to anyone affected by any form of this terrible disease.

Qualifications

  • Cosca Certificate in Counselling Skills (2020 – 2021)
  • MSc in Pluralistic Counselling, Abertay University (2021 – 2024)
  • ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (2021)
  • Counselling people with Sight Loss (RNIB) (2024)

I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), and support their Ethical Framework. I am also registered with the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) and adhere to the requirements of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). I receive regular supervision to ensure clients receive a safe and professional service.

Counsellor near Lunan Bay
BACP Logo
ICO logo
RNIB Logo

Testimonials

The sessions with you have changed my life and perspective and I can’t thank you enough for listening, working through things with me and giving me hope again that I can cope with life.

(Client - 2023)

I have experience working with:

Anxiety

Depression/low mood

Stress

Assertiveness

Low self esteem

Abuse

Chronic illness

Exam stress

Grief, bereavement and loss

Cancer

Gender/sexual identity

Life transitions

Loneliness

Relaxation

Self harm

Suicidal ideation

Trauma

Adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences

Location

I offer counselling and psychotherapy sessions from my practice based in Brechin.

Full location details will be provided upon booking.

My practice is easily accessible from the surrounding areas of Angus, Aberdeenshire, and Tayside. Online sessions via Microsoft Teams are also available.

Sessions and Fees

An initial consultation by telephone, online meeting or walk and talk is offered free of charge.


  • Face-to-face, online or walk and talk counselling sessions last approximately 50 minutes and cost £50.00.

Payment is due on the day of the appointment. Cash or bank transfer (BACS), are the payment methods I currently accept.


Low income clients or students discounted fees can be negotiated. Home visit and walk and talk fees can be arranged by negotiation and may involve travel expenses.

Get in touch

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. You can also reach me by phone at 07366 175725. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.

All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.


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