Fiona Mackay Associate Psychologist & Mindfulness Teacher

Fiona Mackay

Associate Psychologist & Mindfulness Teacher

“I am a warm and compassionate therapist, who will take time to get to know you, to listen to your story, and I aim to respond to your bespoke needs effectively. I recognise that coming to us at Shore will have taken a lot of courage from you, and that your journey up until this point may have had some unexpectedly difficult times. I hope to reassure you that I have many years of experience with putting children, young people, and their families/ parents/ carers at ease, to provide therapy, as well as to provide school observations or teacher interviews, as part of a diagnostic assessment. I am also experienced in working with larger groups of all ages, such as providing workshops about managing stress and burnout, using mindfulness-based approaches.  

I joined Shore Psychology, to continue my work in the field of psychology, because I love the idea of contributing towards Shore’s vision to provide a Trauma-Informed Practice Centre of Excellence, where power imbalances are minimised, and clients feel welcomed into a warm, genuine, and emotionally safe environment”.

For two decades, I have supported clients during my work in the field of psychology, 14 years across a range of NHS settings, and 6 years in private practice. Alongside working as a Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (Children and Young People) and Mindfulness Teacher (all ages), I also work in the field of Public Health. I have chosen to work across both psychology and public health fields because I am so passionate about making a difference to improving mental health for all, including those less able to access healthcare services, and to tackle prevention, inequality, and ensuring effective ‘trauma informed’ approaches are in place.

Clinical Experience

Conditions I work with

I specialise in working therapeutically with children & young people,
& their families. I have expertise in the areas of:

  • Attachment, and parenting
  • Emotional/ interpersonal problems
  • Behaviours, and eating/ feeding/ toileting/ sleeping difficulties
  • Coming to terms with diagnoses and difficult experiences
  • School liaison as needed, for example as part of an ADHD or ASD assessment, or to provide support across settings
  • Anxiety (including Generalised Anxiety Disorder, GAD)
  • Depression and low self-esteem
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Phobias

Therapies I offer

For Children, Young People, and Families:

  • Systemic approaches- involving families, and schools if helpful
  • Parenting and behavioural approaches
  • Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

For all ages:

  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction for individuals or groups

Qualifications and Training

  • MSc Health-related Psychology (including doctorate level thesis)
    – University of Edinburgh (2017)
  • MSc. Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology – University of Edinburgh (2007)
  • BSc. Psychology – University of Edinburgh (2002)

I have undergone further training as a Mindfulness Teacher (2019)

Professional Membership and Registrations

I am a registered member of the Wider Psychology Workforce, through the British Psychological Society. I maintain all professional requirements for regular supervision with a Clinical Psychologist, ensuring a high standard of practice. I was formerly the Scottish Branch Chair for The British Psychological Society (2022-2024). Separately to Psychology, I am a registered professional in Public Health (UKPHR).