How to find a great Counsellor / Therapist

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People are looking for therapy now more than ever.  We are more stressed, anxious, and unhappy than ever before and with the current pandemic people are becoming more aware of the importance of their and their loved one’s mental health.  Whilst the NHS are amazing and have some wonderful mental health support the services they can provide are extremely stretched.  The same goes for the multitude of superb charities countrywide. Help might not always be available when needed, might be time limited or might not offer you a suitable selection of appropriate therapies to fit your needs. And this is where private therapy can help. There are 1000s of counsellors out there but finding one that is right for you needs a little consideration to give you the best chance of getting the most from therapy. But where do you start? Finding someone who you can trust, open up with and bare your soul to can feel a little daunting but there are a few helpful things to keep in mind that should make finding a...
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Now is a good time to celebrate!

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OK, stay with me! I know what you’re thinking! The world is in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, people are dying, the world’s economy is crashing, you can’t work or maybe you have to work but feel exhausted or unsafe, you have to home-school the kids, you miss your family/friends, you’re worried about money, you feel isolated and scared etc. etc. And you’re right there is a lot of horrible stuff going on at the moment and none of us really know when it’s going to end or what the future is going to look like do we? However, I maintain that there is still a lot to celebrate and I think now more than ever it’s important to do so. We tend not to celebrate the little things in life, we wait for the big events.  Maybe we’ve been conditioned to ignore the little day to day things, maybe we are too busy worrying about the big stuff, maybe we don’t notice or acknowledge the efforts we go to, maybe we...
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Wiggle those toes to reduce anxiety!

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My wonderful supervisor taught me this neat little technique a while ago to quickly help lower anxiety, panic and ground us. I've used it myself and shared with many clients since. It's so simple anyone can do it! You can do this anywhere and at anytime. You can be wearing shoes, socks, slippers or bare feet, whatever is most comfy for you. Keeping your feet flat on the floor spell out your name with your big toe. Then switch to the other big toe and repeat. Do this a few times with each foot. If your name is pretty short like mine then you might want to do it for your full name! You can mix it up a bit by doing it bare feet on the carpet, in the shower, on the patio, on the lawn, wherever you are and notice the additional sensations that you experience while you are wiggling - I personally can't wait until we are...
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Counsellors – the personal brain trainer?

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How many times have you heard or maybe even said ‘what are you going to counselling for, what’s wrong with you?’ but we never hear or say ‘why are you going to yoga/spin class/running etc?’ do we! I often say that having counselling should be seen as no different than going to the gym, an exercise class or working with a personal trainer. Let me be clear I don’t mean this to detract from the serious work that we as counsellors do or to play down the years of training we undertake, but more that counselling should be seen as a ‘normal’ thing we do to take care of ourselves and keep us feeling mentally healthy, just as exercise keeps us physically healthy. The brain is not a muscle but studies in neuroplasticity have shown that with practice and effort we can change how the brain reacts to situations.  But this doesn’t happen overnight.  But then again nor do physical changes. I know personally that...
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A prescription for happiness?

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Science never was one of my favourite subjects at school (much to the disappointment of my Dad); but I have to admit that when it comes to feeling good biology has some really good stuff to help influence how we feel – the so called ‘happy hormones’  - Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin. A combination of these four hormones influences our level of happiness and there are a few simple ways we can include activities in our daily lives that help produce more of them. First a little more about them... Endorphins increase our feelings of wellbeing and help minimize discomfort.  During exercise the body releases Endorphins (which helps the body cope with the pain of exercising), this then lifts our feelings and makes us enjoy exercising.  Laughter is another good way of generating endorphins as is savouring a little chocolate or meditating. Dopamine is sometimes described as the ‘feel good’ hormone, its effect is linked to motivation and pleasure.  When we...
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Time to try something new?

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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic face to face counselling has been suspended until further notice. Telephone and online counselling using a secure platform is available for all clients. I’ll continue to be available for all my current clients for the duration of whatever lies ahead. And, if you’re not a current client and are stuck indoors and finding anxieties or other worries tough to deal with then don’t hesitate to reach out. If you're new to the idea of online or telephone counselling then rest assured it's easier than you may think and can be a really effective form of therapy. Online / telephone counselling can actually offer a few benefits over traditional face to face counselling including - Accessibility - Online and telephone counselling are easily accessible, all you need is a phone or internet connected device and somewhere private to sit.Convenience - No wasted time travelling to your therapy sessions, waiting for the bus or looking for a...
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Glass Half Empty?

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A little food for thought in these trying times.... A teacher walked around a room holding a glass of water. As she raised the glass, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she asked: “How heavy is this class of water?” The answers the student's called out varied greatly. She replied, “The actual weight doesn’t matter; it depends on how long I hold the glass. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” The teacher continued, “The stress and worries in life are like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a...
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First Blog

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Well I didn’t really expect my first blog to be such a serious one, but I feel it’s important… I realise that this may be a time of heightened anxiety and therefore I just wanted to say there is no need to panic and contingency plans are in place 😊 At present face to face counselling sessions are continuing until otherwise advised however over the next few weeks things might change so other options will be available… Telephone counselling sessions.Online counselling using a secure platform.Payments can be made by bank transfer. Sessions will continue to be available for as long as you need them. Why continue therapy at this time you may ask? You will still need emotional support, regardless of what’s going on outside.The things that brought you to therapy will still be there and we can continue working together on them.Being isolated has its own emotional challenges... and I’m here to work with you through them.This may be your worst nightmare... like a perpetual Xmas or school holiday stuck indoors with family where you...
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