Staff

Meet the team at Human Development Scotland (HDS) who work to improve the mental health and emotional wellbeing of people in Scotland.

Course leaders

Lynne Conway, Course Lead

Course Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Email: [email protected]

Gillian Sloan Donachy, Course Lead

Course Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Email: [email protected]

Joanne Young, Course Lead

Course Lead for Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People

Email: [email protected]

Liz Cairns, Course Lead

Course Lead for Human Relations and Counselling and Foundations of Human Relations and Counselling

Email: [email protected]

Volunteers

We employ a combination of full/part-time staff and tutors/counsellors on a contractual basis. We also value the time and commitment from volunteers for trustee roles, as well as for administration and marketing support.

Our wonderful office-based volunteer team currently consists of: Andrea Lutri, Tom Symington, Paul Tait

Latest

Become a Friend of HDS

Please select "Set up a regular payment" to become a Friend of HDS.
How to run a successful private practice: all you need to know

Setting up and running a successful private practice can be highly rewarding but it can be challenging. Whether you are considering starting private practice, or want to develop your existing private practice, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for running a successful private practice.
Counselling service open

We are pleased to announce that our counselling service is open to support clients across Scotland.
ISE: Therapeutic challenges in working with race and cultural issues with Iris Gibbs

Intensive Study Event (ISE): The event will be a mixture of presentation and large group discussion, with time for questions and reflections and small discussion groups.

Counsellors

Meet our highly qualified counsellors who provide the counselling services at Human Development Scotland (HDS).
Tutors

Meet our highly qualified tutors who deliver the Human Development Scotland (HDS) training programme.
Board

Meet our Board of Trustees who voluntarily provide their expertise to support the effective governance of Human Development Scotland (HDS).

Accessibility
Privacy Policy

We respect the privacy rights of individuals and are committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable law. This notice sets out the personal data that we collect and process about you, the purposes of the processing and the rights that you have in connection with it.
Donate

Your donation will help relieve mental and emotional distress by increasing the availability of, and access to, high quality psychodynamic and psychoanalytic counselling and psychotherapy for all who need them.
Conference on adolescence and depression

This one-day conference will provide a psychoanalytic overview of adolescence and depression and give an insight into how we work with adolescents and their parents and carers.
Moodle

Students can access our Moodle site to gain access to your course material or the HDS members' area.
Human relations and counselling

This part-time modular programme provides the opportunity for professional training as a Psychodynamic Counsellor, and includes: theoretical study, skills practice supervised clinical practice in a placement, development of a critical awareness of underlying relational dynamics, development of the capacity to work sensitively and constructively with issues of diversity and equalities.
Board

Meet our Board of Trustees who voluntarily provide their expertise to support the effective governance of Human Development Scotland (HDS).
What is psychodynamic theory?

We exist to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing through professional training, CPD and the provision of counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland. At the heart of our work at Human Development Scotland (HDS) is psychodynamic theory.
Friends of HDS

Friends of HDS is our way of recognising groups of supporters who make a regular commitment to the work of HDS. Find out more about becoming a Friend of HDS.
Therapeutic work with children and young people

This modular course offers an in-depth understanding of infants’, children’s and adolescents’ emotional and personality development, the significance of primary relationships and their relevance to working with these age groups and their families.

Friends of HDS

Friends of HDS is our way of recognising groups of supporters who make a regular commitment to the work of HDS. Find out more about becoming a Friend of HDS. Read more

Becky Smith, Director

Jigjit Kaur Tait, Operations Manager

Lynne Learmonth, Academic Courses Administrator

Lawrence Sum, Marketing & Communications Officer

Course leaders

Lynne Conway, Course Lead

Gillian Sloan Donachy, Course Lead

Joanne Young, Course Lead

Liz Cairns, Course Lead

Volunteers