She received her academic training in a Community-Clinical Psychology programme which allowed her to specialise in addiction studies, and then spent a year internship at the Substance Abuse Treatment Units of Yale Medical School. She has worked in both Scotland and the United States, and has experience working clinically in a range of settings, including long term residential programmes, inpatient units, community based services and a harm reduction centre. She has developed training for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the University of the West of Scotland and Stirling University.