“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 …
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 …
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 …
Attachment: How early experiences affect your relationships Read More »
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 …
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 …
What’s in a year? 366 days, 12 months, or 8784 hours when it came to 2020. I generally know how long a year is, but I take this information for granted sometimes. So what did I do in this time, how did I exist? How did I spend those hours? In thinking of 2020 what …
“It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.” Philip K. Dick The black and white image above shows autumn trees with mostly bare branches. A girl dressed in white is re-attaching the fallen leaves to the tree with string while a man in a suit appears to be addressing her. This is …
As a general election has been called in the UK I have been thinking more about the parallels between politics, the media and counselling. In politics and the media there seems to be a deliberate simplification and separating of people into opposing camps – either through an attitude of ‘winner takes it all’ or through …
“My voice just echoes off these walls…” – Nine Inch Nails, Echoplex I’ve always been fascinated by sound and remember very clearly the first time I used headphones to listen to music. It was on a Walkman which my Dad had lent me, and I remember being surprised at how loud and clear the music …
“What is it to take care of yourself? Getting paid? Getting laid? Getting married? Getting pregnant? Fighting for visibility in your market? Realising your potential? Being healthy, being clean, not making a fool of yourself, not hurting yourself? Shaving in all the right places? What am I taking care of?” – Jenny Hval So what …