Welcome to my Blog
Learning to love your inner child
"Why do I need to talk about my childhood?" This is a question I often get asked by clients first entering counselling. "I survived" a client once said to me with a big shrug, "why does it matter, let's move on". The reason therapists are so interested in childhood is...
Why Hope helps
During my Summer travels I came accross a project to leave stones around a local village with messages of hope and love written on them. I found it so inspiring that you could just pick up the stone and hold on to it, taking in the message, then placing it somewhere...
The signs of emotional overwhelm
Being aware of our emotional load and knowing when it's becoming too much is a careful balancing act. Physical overwhelm is probably easier to recognise for most of us; back pain or a headache which means we have to stop and take notice, even go to bed. Emotional...
Is your anxiety holding you back from travelling?
Travelling and holidays are mostly seen as great ways to relax and recuperate. However as the Summer holiday time arrives, I have clients who are finding it all incredibly stressful and very triggering for their anxiety. So how can something we all seem to long for...
The art of idling; learning to fully rest
When we are in recovery from mental or physical illness, we need to learn to fully rest and let go in order to start to feel well. I often work with clients who find this a challenge, they busy themselves with to do lists and appointments. In many ways they are too...
The ebb and flow of our mental health
I am often asked by clients when they will be better, when they will recover and be fully themselves again after struggles with their mental illness. This question is a deeply complex one and very relevant indeed in Mental Health Awareness Week. Mental health for me...
Menopause and our emotions
The list of symptoms of the menopause range from dry skin to hot flushes, but a lesser known side effect is anxiety and low mood. The levels of anxiety reported by women in perimenopause and menopause, are seen to be on the rise and often come at what can be a very...
Setting Boundaries
We use the word boundaries a lot, without really thinking of its implications and what it truly means. We just know we should have them and many of us don't! Brené Brown says that boundaries are simply "What is ok for you and what isn't". This appeals to me because...
Challenging Relationships
Many people come in to therapy in the midst of a relationship which is causing them overwhelming difficult feelings. This relationship might be with a parent, family member, friend or love partner, all of them are equally difficult. The common theme is often that...
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Recently I have begun to notice that it is the stories we tell ourselves that are often the most powerful narratives in our head. It is these stories that become our truths and drive our life experiences, unless we begin to notice their impact and challenge them. If...
Do you need to be in crisis to come in to therapy?
Over the years one of the questions I often get asked is, does it need to be a crisis before you ask for support and enter therapy? The answer really lies with the individual client. Most people know that they have managed as much as they can alone and need someone to...
Explore Your Own Potential This Year
One of my clients recently asked me why my practice was called Grow Your Potential and I explained that exploring our own potential is a really fundamental drive behind our work together in therapy. As a Transpersonal Psychotherapist, I am specifically looking for the...