Coaching and therapeutic approaches
Life Coaching, Counselling and Advanced Counselling, Mindfulness, Hypnotherapy, NLP and CBT-based approaches.
About Derek
Meet Derek McGillivray
Derek McGillivray, known professionally as A Happy Medium, is a down-to-earth Scotsman, author, speaker, life coach, medium and spiritual teacher.
His work brings together humour, common sense, intuition, spirituality, lived experience and a practical belief that people often already have more answers within themselves than they realise.
A very ordinary route to an unusual career
Derek was born in Inverness and brought up in Fort William and Aberdeen.
Before A Happy Medium existed, his life included working as a professional chef and manager, years offshore in the North Sea, trade union involvement, football, family life, business and plenty of the ordinary ups and downs that shape most people.
Those earlier chapters are an important part of why Derek connects easily with people from very different walks of life.
How A Happy Medium began
Over time, Derek’s interest in spirituality, mediumship, personal development and helping others developed into the work for which A Happy Medium became known.
The name reflects the balance at the heart of his approach: the ordinary and the spiritual, humour and seriousness, intuition and common sense.
His aim has never been simply to tell people what to do. He would rather help someone look at a situation differently, recognise their own strengths and choices, and find a way forward that feels right for them.
Helping people through life’s challenges
Derek has spent more than two decades helping people navigate change, confidence, relationships, wellbeing, recovery, personal development and spiritual growth.
His work has included private clients, families, groups, workshops, teaching, spiritual events, wellbeing settings, public speaking and support for people facing addiction, trauma and difficult life changes.
What ties that work together is a simple principle: listen properly, understand what is really going on, find perspective and help people recognise their own possibilities.
Experience and professional development
Derek’s work is supported by extensive training and ongoing professional development across coaching, counselling, wellbeing, recovery and spiritual practice.
Spiritual development
Psychic and Mediumship development, Spiritual Healing, Angelic Reiki and mediumship development at the Arthur Findlay College.
Celebrancy
Trained Civil Celebrant, including NOCN Level 3 Diploma in Celebrancy.
Ongoing development
Continuing training in areas including Motivational Interviewing, trauma-informed practice, Psychological First Aid, relapse prevention, safety and stabilisation, protection of vulnerable people, first aid and recovery-focused practice.
Author, speaker and creator
Derek is also a published author, speaker and creator.
His work includes books, talks, workshops and spiritual teaching, as well as the What’s the Craic? Scottish cards and the Caledonian Spirit Oracle.
Storytelling, humour and lived experience are a big part of the way he communicates, whether he is speaking to one person or a room full of people.
Why Digital Derek?
Digital Derek grew from a simple idea: could some of Derek’s experience, teachings and way of looking at life be made available in a new form, whenever someone needed a little space to think?
It is not intended to replace Derek, imitate a live conversation with him or tell people what to do.
Instead, it draws on Derek’s approved material and perspective to help people reflect, notice what they may have missed and consider their own next step.
Derek today
Derek now works in Elgin, Moray, alongside his wife and spiritual partner Angela.
Family, friendship, humour, learning and helping others remain central to his life and work.
He continues to develop his knowledge while bringing together the practical, personal and spiritual experiences that have shaped A Happy Medium.
About Digital Derek
A collaboration built around Derek’s knowledge
Digital Derek is a collaborative project created around Derek McGillivray’s approved knowledge, experience, teachings and way of looking at life.
The project brings together Derek / A Happy Medium as the knowledge and content partner, and West Pro Media Services Ltd as the business and technology partner responsible for building, operating and supporting the Digital Derek platform.
West Pro Media Services Ltd manages the website, member platform, technical infrastructure, payments and data-processing arrangements for Digital Derek.
Derek provides the perspective, source material and ongoing guidance that shape how Digital Derek responds.
“Enlightening others to succeed through life’s challenges.”
Digital Derek is one more way of making that perspective available.