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

Joint Course Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Email: [email protected]

Gillian Sloan Donachy, Course Lead

Joint 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, Foundations of Human Relations and Counselling and Counselling Children, Young People and Families

Email: [email protected]

Annie Baikie, National Infant Mental Health Coordinator

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: Norman Rae

Latest

At a glance: courses, prospectus, fees & applications

At a glance look at the professional training on offer from HDS. Information and links to course information, including: entry requirements, fees, timings, applications and enquiries.
“We have all been in the same storm, but we have not all been in the same boat.”

New results from a study by the Mental Health Foundation show that one year on, the COVID-19 crisis has had wide and deep emotional impacts on UK adults.
Virtual Open Day 2021

Our virtual Open Day has now finished but you can still look at the Open Day resources here.
Embodied 'presence': working and living online

HDS Board Member, Mary MacCallum Sullivan, provides a review of an article by Dan Nixon. In ‘The body as mediator’, he foregrounds the embodied experience of the dis-embodiment we all currently share, as we sit glued to our screens because of C-19.

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).

Facing a winter during a pandemic

It is expected that the recent lockdown measures in-place will take a heavier toll on people’s mental health. The Mental Health Foundation has outlined ten risks and ideas for protecting and supporting mental health this winter.
Human relations and counselling

The Human Relations and Counselling Programme consists of 3 parts to provide different levels of training and qualification. This includes a Dilpoma (PGDip) and Masters (MSc). The course is ideal for people who currently use elements of counselling in their day-to-day work and would like to take further steps towards enhancing their practice and deepening their professional capacity.
Award winners

HDS received the Volunteer Friendly Award in recognition of the volunteering opportunities we provide.
Accessibility
Looking after our mental health in uncertain times

Infectious disease outbreaks, like the current Coronavirus (COVID-19), can be scary and can affect our mental health. While it is important to stay informed, there are also many things we can do to support and manage our wellbeing during uncertain times. Here are some tips from members of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) which we hope will help you, your friends and your family to look after your mental health.
Moodle

Students can access our Moodle site to gain access to your course material or the HDS members' area.
Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Professional Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. This is a practical and theoretical training course in psychoanalytical psychotherapy with children and young people. This course is the only one in Scotland which is approved by the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).
What makes the psychodynamic approach different?

At the heart of our work at Human Development Scotland (HDS) is psychodynamic theory. Here we explain what makes the psychodynamic approach different?
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.
Enrol for our postgraduate training

We offer postgraduate training courses for professionals working particularly in the NHS, social services, education, private practice and voluntary sector.

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

At a glance: courses, prospectus, fees & applications

At a glance look at the professional training on offer from HDS. Information and links to course information, including: entry requirements, fees, timings, applications and enquiries. Read more

Becky Smith, Director

Jigjit Kaur Tait, Operations Manager

Susan Gordon, Academic Administrative Assistant

Lawrence Sum, Marketing & Communications Officer

Course leaders

Lynne Conway, Course Lead

Gillian Sloan Donachy, Course Lead

Joanne Young, Course Lead

Liz Cairns, Course Lead

Annie Baikie, National Infant Mental Health Coordinator

Volunteers