At One Step Borders we are a registered charity with a small team of 5. With varying backgrounds and experience we use a variety of approaches to support our young people.
We aim to make sure that young people, aged 16 to 25, in the Scottish Borders have access to quality support with their mental and emotional wellbeing,
Our team includes Human Givens Psychotherapist and Managing Director Alex Kennedy, Compassion Focus Trained, LGBTQ+ ally and outdoor enthusiast Angela Farnish, Counsellor and Art Psychotherapist in training Amelia Dow, Domestic Abuse specialist Sarah Caughey and Group Facilitator/ all rounder energetic powerhouse Gillian Ormiston.
With backgrounds, experience, and qualifications that range from youth work to mental health to neurodiversity and other learning challenges, we use a variety of approaches including compassion-focused therapy, creativity, the outdoors, and trauma-informed therapy.
Our Mental Health Support Service offers specialist one-to-one sessions, group work, counselling and psychotherapy for people experiencing mental illness or in need of emotional support. The approach we take is holistic, integrative, and relational. This simply means that each individual has a mind, body, and spirit, with each having inherent value and possessing their own particular needs.
When working with most people, we find compassion and curiosity to be the most powerful tools for gaining deeper insight. Our goal as trauma informed practitioners is to set up a solid foundation of trust, safety, and rapport so people feel safe and empowered to break free of the frustrating cycles and patterns in which they currently find themselves.
Our services cover a wide range of mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, low mood, unwanted behaviours, phobias, relational issues, grief, and loss. While we are an independent charity, we collaborate with Scottish Borders Council, Borders College, the NHS, and other community services.
Referrals can also be made by individuals themselves, and we welcome people who are engaging with other services. Professionals such as GPs, CAMHS, social workers, and other services may also refer people to us.
Our specially designed framework and pathway help establish needs and blocks, set goals, and track progress, but we will always consider an individual's unique circumstances when determining if our service is right for them.
If you would like to find out more about who can use our services or the appropriateness of a referral you are considering making, please do not hesitate to contact us as we are always happy to provide further information or discuss available options.
As part of the implementation of a solid ethics framework for emotional wellbeing and mental health support services, we at One Step Borders strive to provide the highest level of service and professionalism at all times, and all practitioners are required to abide by the BACP's code of ethics and the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA's) code of ethics.