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.

21/04/2026

What a rich Saturday we had at Physis Scotland.🥰

We gathered for our annual All Together Day, where trainers and students from all years come together to learn, stretch, and be gently challenged.

This year’s focus was clear and needed:
Practicing psychotherapy with contextual awareness — power, privilege, marginalisation, and ethical responsibility.

We began by setting a shared intention. A space that was open, reflective, and grounded in respect. From the start, the invitation was simple: stay curious about your own position in the work.

The morning opened with three provocations that stayed with us throughout the day. They asked difficult questions about humility, the limits of humanistic values, and the ways therapy itself can harm when power is not examined.

From there, the day unfolded through conversation. Small groups explored emerging themes. We asked:
• What needs to be voiced?
• Where have we contributed, through action or silence?
• What does this mean for how we live and practice?

In the afternoon, we widened the lens with a guest lecture from Dr Sarah T Nghidinwa (The University of Edinburgh), speaking on “Unsettling the room: Whiteness and Decolonisation.” We then returned to the question: What does this look like in practice?

The day closed with a creative exercise. Using simple materials, we built representations of ourselves. Complex, layered, and different. A quiet reminder of intersectionality and the many stories each person carries.

We ended with small, real commitments:
One thing to notice.
One question to ask.
One assumption to let go of.
One action to take.

Our thanks to everyone who made the day what it was.❤️

To all our trainers and presenters — Cat Cornthwaite PTSTA-E, Hanna Konoplianyk PTSTA-P, and Andy Williams TSTA-P — for guiding the conversations with care and clarity. ❤️

To our students, for your honesty and willingness to engage.❤️

And with special thanks to Dr Sarah T Nghidinwa for her thoughtful contribution.❤️

We carry this work forward, in practice and in ourselves.

A quick reminder - applications for our COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills close tomorrow, 22 April.Part-time, onli...
20/04/2026

A quick reminder - applications for our COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills close tomorrow, 22 April.

Part-time, online, no experience needed.
Starting 6 May and designed to fit around a working life - whether you're considering a move toward counselling or simply want to work more skilfully with the people around you.

Link in first comment 👇

Most of us think about TA in terms of individuals - the ego states, the life positions, the relational patterns we work ...
19/04/2026

Most of us think about TA in terms of individuals - the ego states, the life positions, the relational patterns we work with in the therapy room.

But what happens when you apply that same lens to an organisation? To a team, a leadership structure, a culture that keeps reproducing the same dynamics no matter who's in it?

That's exactly what Tuesday's webinar explores. Sari van Poelje TSTA - one of the leading voices in Organisational TA - introduces the framework in this first of two sessions with Physis Scotland and Intact Academy.

Webinar 1: Changing Organisations with TA
Tuesday 21 April 6 - 7.30pm. Online. Tickets £10. Booking closes 20 April.
Details and registration link in first comment 👇

Intact Academy

Hanna Konoplianyk and Fiona Firman are on their travels into Edinburgh for the Physis Scotland All Together Day, which w...
18/04/2026

Hanna Konoplianyk and Fiona Firman are on their travels into Edinburgh for the Physis Scotland All Together Day, which we are very much looking forward to 😁 It is going to be an amazing day! 🤩

Working with couples is one of the most clinically demanding and rewarding things a therapist can do. Two people, two at...
17/04/2026

Working with couples is one of the most clinically demanding and rewarding things a therapist can do.

Two people, two attachment histories, two entirely different accounts of what's happening in the relationship. And the task of holding the dynamic between them rather than being drawn into alliance with either one.

If couples work is something you've been thinking about, or something you already do and want to do with more confidence and clarity, our Certificate in Couples Work starts on 6 May. Closing date for applications is 30 April so there is still time to apply.

Delivered over four months with Kelly Scharver, this online course gives you a clear developmental framework for understanding what's happening between partners, practical skills for when sessions become stuck or emotionally intense, and neuroscience-informed approaches that help couples genuinely shift.

2026 course dates: all sessions 1–5pm online:
Module 1: 6–8 May
Module 2: 17–19 June
Module 3: 8–10 July
Module 4: 5–7 August

Suitable for qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, and for trainees currently seeing clients on placement.

Course fee: £945 (inc. VAT)
Link for full details in first comment 👇

There's a question that comes up again and again in therapy - and in life. Why do people stay stuck?Not stuck in the obv...
15/04/2026

There's a question that comes up again and again in therapy - and in life. Why do people stay stuck?

Not stuck in the obvious ways. Stuck in the subtle ones. The patterns that feel almost comfortable even when they're not working. The ways we learned to manage relationships that made sense once and now seem to just... repeat.

Our new CPD series from Hanna Konoplianyk : Contemporary Applications of Cathexis TA is coming soon. Four online workshops for psychotherapy trainees and qualified practitioners, each exploring a different dimension of this clinical framework.
Thursday evenings in May, online, 6 - 8pm £25
Workshop 1: Held in Place: Passivity and Symbiosis

Link in first comment 👇

If you work in the NHS, a school, a charity or a community organisation, you probably already do a version of this work ...
14/04/2026

If you work in the NHS, a school, a charity or a community organisation, you probably already do a version of this work - sitting with people in difficulty, listening carefully, trying to say the right thing when there isn't always a right thing to say.

Counselling skills training doesn't turn you into a therapist. What it does is give you a framework for those conversations - and the confidence to have them more effectively.

Our COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills (SCQF Level 8) is specifically designed to fit around a working life. Part-time, online, Wednesdays 2.30pm - 8.15pm. No prior experience needed.

Starts 6 May. Registration closes 22 April.

Link in first comment 👇

😍 What a weekend 😍A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for TA101 last weekend, and to our wonderful trainers,...
14/04/2026

😍 What a weekend 😍

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for TA101 last weekend, and to our wonderful trainers, Fiona Firman PTSTA-P and Kate Simpson CTA-P.

The feedback from the weekend reflects what a thoughtful and engaged group it was. The room was full of curiosity, generous discussion, and some truly fabulous questions, with everyone willing to stretch themselves and engage deeply with the learning.

What stood out most was the openness and vulnerability people brought to the group. Thank you for showing up so honestly and contributing so generously to the shared learning space.

It was also lovely to hear that the personal examples helped bring the theory to life and made the ideas easier to connect with in practice.

Weekends like this are a reminder of the power of learning together in a space built on curiosity, reflection, and trust.

Thank you all for making it such a warm and meaningful experience. 💛

Have you been wondering about a change of direction? Looking at counselling training as an option?A lot of people who fe...
12/04/2026

Have you been wondering about a change of direction? Looking at counselling training as an option?

A lot of people who feel drawn to this kind of work assume they'd need to go to university to train. That's one route, but it isn't the only one.

We've written a new blog post about what counselling training looks like at a specialist institute like Physis Scotland. It covers the the route to COSCA Diploma level and questions we hear most often:
Do I need a degree? What does the pathway look like? How much does it cost? Will I be able to work as a counsellor afterwards?

If you've been circling the idea for a while, it's a useful place to start.

Link in the first comment 👇

🌱 What is your life story? 🌱How often do you get the chance to stop and really think about it?These are two questions th...
09/04/2026

🌱 What is your life story? 🌱How often do you get the chance to stop and really think about it?

These are two questions that have been with us recently.

In Transactional Analysis, the concept of life script suggests that many of us begin writing our story early in life. Through childhood experiences, the messages we receive, and the decisions we make about ourselves and the world, we can develop an unconscious “script” that shapes how we live, relate, and respond.

This script can show up in daily life in subtle but familiar ways. For example in the roles we take on in relationships, the expectations we place on ourselves, the patterns we repeat at work, and the way we respond under stress.

It can be present in the stories we tell ourselves: I have to get everything right, I must not need anyone, or this is just how things always go for me.

Sometimes that script supports us. Sometimes it can keep us repeating old patterns without even realising it.

TA101 offers a space to begin noticing those patterns and to reflect on the story you may have been living.

🌱 What parts of that story still serve you?
🌱 What parts might be ready to change?

Today is the last day to sign up for this weekend’s TA101 training.

If you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the time. Link in the comments⬇️

Just a reminder - TA101 registration closes TOMORROW, Thursday 9 April. 🕐If you've been on the fence: TA101 is two days ...
08/04/2026

Just a reminder - TA101 registration closes TOMORROW, Thursday 9 April. 🕐

If you've been on the fence: TA101 is two days online, no experience needed, and it covers more ground than most people expect.

It's the internationally recognised starting point for TA - and for many people it's the weekend that changes how they see everything.

11 & 12 April, Online, £220 for the 2 days.

Link in first comment

The start of something new doesn’t always feel clear.Sometimes it’s not a big decision. It’s just a sense… that you’re r...
07/04/2026

The start of something new doesn’t always feel clear.

Sometimes it’s not a big decision. It’s just a sense… that you’re ready to begin something.

A different way of working. A deeper understanding of people. A path that feels more aligned with who you are becoming.

That’s often how people arrive at the TA101 Understanding You, Me and Us. Not because they have it all mapped out but because they want to take a first step and see where it leads.

This weekend (11–12 April), we’re running a 2-day introduction to Transactional Analysis online.

It’s a chance to:
• explore how we relate and communicate
• understand patterns in ourselves and others
• and see if this way of working speaks to you

You don’t need to have a plan. Just a bit of curiosity.

If you are thinking of training in some kind of therapy, its also a chance to experience what psychotherapy training is like.

For more info - link in comments

Address

22 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh
EH37RN

Website

https://www.physisscotland.co.uk/ta-101-understanding-you-me-us, https://www.physissc

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