Dr Liza Morton, Counselling Psychologist

04/04/2026

Enjoyed lunch & a catch up with this gem of a (ACHD) cardiologist (Dr) Lynn Millar. Love a medic who is fully invested in learning about, providing & promoting psychologically informed care because, from clinical experience, they get how important it is for their patients’ health & wellbeing. Never more so than for those living with a lifelong health condition (yet, ironically we are often the most neglected by healthcare services)❤️

28/03/2026

It’s always particularly special to share my work with people living with serious chronic health conditions so it’s a pleasure to speak about ‘Managing the psychological impact of living with a long-term condition’ for Muscular Dystrophy UK today at Forth Valley College.

05/03/2026

Thank you Helen Puttick for interviewing me for The Times and The Sunday Times about the deeply personal motivation behind my new book ‘Beyond the Medical Gaze: Practicing Psychologically Informed Healthcare’ ❤️‍🩹

Liza Morton was the youngest child in the world to have a pacemaker. Now a psychologist, her book will resonate with anyone who feels challenged by the NHS

25/02/2026

Getting myself ready to deliver online teaching this evening on ‘Supporting People Living with a Congenital Heart Condition with Psychologically Informed Healthcare’ for a Chronic Heart Failure course. Delivered by the fabulous nursing department at this is the third year I’ve contributed this teaching. I am very passionate about sharing knowledge between healthcare professionals (we need much more of this). It is exciting that my books are now available to support this learning which bridges my lived experience and psychological expertise. 📚 ❤️‍🩹

08/02/2026

Another encouraging review, so rewarding to get positive feedback ❤️

05/02/2026

https://www.bps.org.uk/news/new-book-dcop-member-highlights-how-psychological-practices-can-be-embedded-healthcare

Beyond the Medical Gaze: Practicing Psychologically Informed Healthcare, is the new book by Dr Liza Morton.

24/01/2026

Our latest, open access, publication -

Feeling Unsafe in One’s Own Body: The Impact of Illness on Psychological Safety and Social Engagement

Extract from conclusion -

“Illness has the potential to profoundly disrupt psychological safety by compromising internal regulation, diminishing bodily trust, and straining connections with others. This study provides initial qualitative evidence that being unwell is not merely a physical experience, but an embodied, emotional, and relational disruption that shapes how individuals feel within themselves and in relation to their environments. These findings call for a shift in healthcare systems away from models that focus solely on symptoms and towards approaches that recognise psychological safety as a fundamental component of care. When individuals feel safe in their bodies, relationships, and healthcare interactions, they are better able to regulate distress, engage with support, and participate actively in their own recovery.

Integrating psychological safety into healthcare design and delivery has the potential to enhance emotional well-being and reduce distress, as well as foster compassionate, psychologically informed, and person-centred care [16,45]. It also supports resilience not just in patients, but across care systems tasked with meeting complex emotional and physical needs.

Ultimately, this study highlights the need to view psychological safety not as an abstract or secondary concern, but as a vital and actionable dimension of health. Supporting this felt sense of safety enables individuals to navigate illness with greater dignity, connection, and hope, offering a pathway toward more humane and effective care.”

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/23/2/148

13/01/2026

Trauma informed healthcare is simply not enough.

While recent trends promoting trauma informed healthcare are welcome trauma is far from the only risk factor to patient and practitioner wellbeing.

Healthcare can increase vulnerability to a complex range of psychological and emotional risk factors.

To name a few, this can include disruptions to secure early attachment; multiple losses; any impact on self-esteem and body image; disempowering aspects of care; the ‘patient burden’ of juggling appointments, dealing with invasive medical procedures, waiting, coping with chronic symptoms and difficult news; issues accessing compassionate, specialist, age-appropriate, culturally informed, neuro-affirmative care in a context of wider social exclusion whist navigating the impact of living with a health condition on relationships, education, finances and life choices.

This is why we need Psychologically Informed Healthcare to truly meet the emotional and psychological wellbeing of patients and practitioners.

My latest book, ‘Beyond the Medical Gaze: Practicing Psychologically Informed Healthcare’, provides an evidence-based approach to understanding psychological and emotional health drawing from my lifelong experience of depending on pioneering cardiac care and research, clinical work and teaching as a Counselling Psychologist grounded in the core principles of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. –

☑️ Relational safety
☑️ Empowerment
☑️ Soothing Presence
☑️ Psychological Safety
☑️ Environments (healing)
☑️ Culturally Sensitive
☑️ Trauma Informed

For more information check-out:

📔 See : https://global.oup.com/academic/product/beyond-the-medical-gaze-9780197804964

📽️ Watch back my free author’s talk, hosted by : https://youtu.be/zwHTlPANs94

Please share and help to promote a Psychologically Informed approach to Healthcare for patients and practitioners.

08/01/2026

My first Amazon review for my new book ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

31/12/2025

Overall, 2025 has been a good one but seeing the book I’ve been writing in my head, since I was a little girl on a cardiology ward, in print was a definite highlight and a dream come true ❤️

I only hope it makes even a tiny difference to any other little kids who find themselves regularly needing care in hospital and those having to juggle life while managing a long term health condition.

Thank you for all the support. I’m blessed to have so many amazing connections.

Happy Hogmanay, lang may yer lum reek, and all the very best for 2026!

23/12/2025

Thank you Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health & Social Care at The Scottish Government. A nice personal note to end the year on 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

09/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who came along to my author talk about my new book 'Beyond the Medical Gaze: Practicing Psychologically Informed Healthcare' hosted by the Polyvagal Institute.

For anyone who missed it they have kindly uploaded it to their YouTube channel, open access, see below and feel free to share.

Polyvagal Institute

In this Author Talk, Liza Morton, PhD, discusses her newest publication: "Beyond the Medical Gaze: Practicing Psychologically Informed Healthcare."In "Beyond...