Dr. Nicola McCaffrey

My Story, Background & Inspirations

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Hello I'm Nicola....

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People often ask me how I came to be a psychologist. The truth is, I am entirely unsure how this happened myself! I grew up in a small town in Scotland, spending some years living in the middle east with my family when I was younger. My inspiration to become a psychologist came to me late on in my high school years when I saw many of my friends and family struggling with their own challenges and issues. I too of course struggled! Seeing and experiencing the different ways in which people coped with life challenges was inspiring. 

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I studied my first Psychology degree at The University of Edinburgh and afterwords I gained my Doctorate Degree from The University of Glasgow.  My education was the platform from which my passion and drive to help others grew and continues to grow. Every day find myself  genuinely fascinated by human beings and I am incredibly privileged to have met some of the most awe inspiring people in my clinic room.

In 2008 I began my working life in Aberdeen in Scotland working as a Clinical Psychologist with the National Health Service (NHS). Along side this I started my own Psychology Practice. Working privately provided me the many different dimensions and challenges that I thrived on and ultimately learned a huge amount from. The variety of settings also meant I gained experience working with children, adolescents and adults of all abilities offering psychological assessment and treatment for a wide range of emotional, behavioural and psychological difficulties. 

After five years of both public and private practice in the UK my family life brought me to Norway where I have been running my own private practice since 2013, providing a range of psychological assessment and therapy services to the English speaking international community. 

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“Success as a therapist is not found in doing something for the client, but rather in being someone for the client

— Ili Rivera Walter

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Working and living as an expat myself I am particularly interested in finding solutions for the many challenges that can be faced whilst living abroad. This experience, as well as giving me the ability to empathise with my clients, gives me a real life understanding of the unique situations expats face.

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I continue to be inspired through the works of some amazing people including Brene Brown, Andy Puddicombe, and Esther Perel. If you haven't heard of them already I urge you to go and pick up one of their books!

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I am passionate about my work and the people I meet. I like taking the time to explain and discuss the complexities of the human condition in simple words. I enjoy helping people all over the world feel understood, confront their joys and their pains, and be a part of their motivation to change. I don’t believe in practicing from a distance, I bring my real self into the therapy room in an accessible and open way.  I am wholeheartedly invested in the people I work with and believe therapy works best when it’s a collaborative process. I strive to maintain the most engaging, effective and ethically sound practice possible. 

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Thanks for reading my story. Now perhaps you can begin yours...

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