We live in a capitalist world which emphasises the importance of winning. I believe this idea is tangled up with notions of masculinity and the patriarchy as a whole. But what does this do to us as individuals, and to our organisations? Is there value in losing, not by re-framing it as a step on […]
Capitalism is very efficient at eating resistance ideas and spitting them back at us, and the concept of self-care is no different. Self-care is now a multi-million-pound industry, where to care for yourself means spending money on pedicures, spa days, gym membership and so on. Exploited employees are encouraged to practice mindfulness breathing exercises on
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“There’s power in our struggle” – No Paradise, Santigold The seven largest oil firms made a profit of over £150 billion this year. It’s difficult for us to comprehend how large a number that is. Even defining a billion as one thousand million is still difficult to visualise. Meanwhile British customers are paying 96% more
“Action is the antidote to despair” – Cid Ricketts Sumner, 1957 Deciding to start counselling can be a positive step towards finding your way again. But when we start anything new we are unlikely to know what to expect, and that can feel unsettling. It’s completely normal to feel anxious or awkward when preparing to
What happens in the first counselling session? Read More »
Today we define anxiety as an emotion arising from an unknown or poorly understood threat. This is distinct from fear which arises from a specific and known threat. We may be anxious about uncertainty (e.g. the unknown of entering a new social situation), but afraid of certain things (e.g. an attacker). Walking through a park
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If you ever wonder why you act a certain way in relationships, attachment theory may be able to help. This could be romantic relationships, or any other type of relationship for example with a friend of colleague. A word of caution: I think of theories of human behaviour like maps, in that they can be
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For many years there’s been a general trend towards minimalist design in Britain. From architecture, street furniture to clothing, function seems to be more important that diversity. The idea behind minimalism is to get rid of material things we don’t need, and to simplify design. Hopefully with the result of allowing space for what matters
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This might sound surprising, but counselling can actually help with really practical worries. Right now the cost of living keeps rising, while wages are not. It means a lot of us are finding it increasingly difficult to get by financially. Getting therapy might seem like adding just another cost, but if you’re reading this then
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What is online therapy? During the COVID lockdowns many services were moved online. Therapy was no different. Although online counselling has been around for many years, many counsellors only offered in-person sessions pre-pandemic. Just like so many others, counsellors were forced to adapt and embrace online therapy. Despite some intitial caution, more and more therapists
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Firstly, does counselling work? There have been countless studies over the years, which give a very clear answer to this – it does. When researchers look at wellbeing measures before and after therapy, wellbeing tends to be higher afterwards. Clients also, on average, report themselves as being less distressed after therapy. Both of those types
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