Shore Psychology expands its waterfront mental health clinic in Leith

A Leith social enterprise is making mental health support easier to reach. Shore Psychology has officially expanded its waterfront clinic at Sandport Place, completing a specialist fit-out of therapy and training suites that look out over The Shore.

The practice was founded by Edinburgh-based senior clinical psychologist Dr Amy Homes, who set it up to help bridge the gap between private practice and the NHS. It operates as a Community Interest Company, and its profits support local charity partners, including the Multi-Cultural Family Base and Crew 2000, which work with communities in the capital who can struggle to get timely mental health support.

The female-led practice now has 28 clinicians. The expansion was made possible by £20,000 from the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans scheme, delivered with DSL Business Finance.

The new rooms have been designed from the ground up as a neurodiversity-informed environment. They are used for therapies including eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), as well as autism and ADHD assessments.

Dr Homes has said the physical environment is critical in helping clients feel secure. The team wanted to create a service that feels accessible, grounded in evidence-based care and shaped by a real understanding of people's experiences, and the funding allowed them to design a space that reflects trauma-informed principles and helps people feel safe from the moment they arrive.

Leigh Lawrie of DSL Business Finance said the new waterfront facility would make a real difference locally, describing the work as creating more accessible, trauma-informed psychological support for people who might otherwise struggle to get help.

Shore Psychology describes its approach as shifting the focus from asking what is wrong with someone to asking what has happened to them. As well as working with individuals, it supports groups and organisations, and it offers training alongside its clinical work.

For a neighbourhood better known for its restaurants and bars, it is a welcome addition to the waterfront, and a reminder that some of the most valuable new openings on The Shore are not places to eat.

To find out more about services, assessments and how to get in touch, visit the Shore Psychology website.