28 August 2026
Gregor Johnstone will be the first to tell you his career didn't start with much of a plan.
"I couldn't even have described it as much of a career before I started in the care field," he says. Early jobs came and went at the benefits agency, in call centres, and in other low-wage work that rarely lasted.
Art was a constant thread through it all. Gregor studied at Langside College, in Glasgow, and Clydebank College before going on to Glasgow School of Art, drawn to creativity even as his drinking quietly took hold.
By the mid-2000s, things had become unmanageable.
A stay in a psychiatric hospital marked a turning point. It was the start of a long road into recovery, and a few years in, someone suggested Gregor apply for what was then called the Scottish Drugs Forum's Addiction Worker Training Project, now known as the traineeship.
"It was a life changer, because I had a lot of fear about employment,” he recalls.
I couldn't hold jobs down because of my mental health and my drinking.
Placements followed, then a first job in the sector, and Gregor has now spent a decade at WithYou.
He started on the Drink Wise, Age Well initiative, supporting people over 50 with their drinking, before moving through community links work, a team leader role in South Lanarkshire, and a spell working on service redesign.
Training kept pulling him back, and four years ago he moved into what's now his role as a trainer facilitator with the organisational development team.
"What I love about it is the engagement with workers, especially face to face,” he says, smiling. “I'm passionate about this work, partly through lived experience, but also through learning. It's changed how I view substance use, and in a personal way it's moved me towards more self-compassion."
Trauma-informed practice has become a particular focus, alongside motivational interviewing. He's currently part of a team rolling out new drug and alcohol training across the organisation, drawing on his own visual arts background when it comes to designing materials, and says the learning goes both ways.
"Our workers energise me with their enthusiasm,” Gregor adds. “I learn from them all the time. They've got so much experience I don't have."
Gregor’s candid about what trauma-informed thinking has meant for how he sees the people WithYou supports.
"The quote we use is moving away from what's wrong with you, to what happened to you,” he explains. “It's that compassionate understanding of why clients respond the way they do. The onus is on us to be sensitive to that."
Outside work, Gregor has returned to painting after years away, still writes film scripts in development with a producer, and holds a black belt in karate, a discipline he returned to during his recovery. He puts a lot of it down to keeping up with his kids.
Looking ahead, he wants to deepen his specialism in trauma-informed practice, with an interest in training in compassion-focused therapy.
“I like learning new things,” he says.
This role gives you the opportunity to expand your own knowledge and confidence, and push out your comfort zone a bit each time.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs or alcohol, we’re here to help. Find out more about our free, confidential support at wearewithyou.org.uk/scotland
