Blog

tin of food
Therapy

Ask these questions before booking!

If you buy any packaged food or drink, the label tells you the ingredients, while the product name follows industry standards. You know exactly what it’s called and what’s in the packet. It does what it says on the tin. Not so with therapy or equine sessions . . . . . Why’s that? Well,

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Relationships

Creating a new life from therapy

Therapy can certainly transform someone’s life – by creating greater peace or fulfilment, or by making sense of past events. There’s plenty of research and commentary as evidence for that. But can therapy actually create a new life? Yes, it can. A difficulty some couples can face is that they want to start a family,

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Piggy bank
Therapy

How do you value therapy?

Therapy can be a big investment. Not only financially, but a substantial time commitment plus a large devotion of emotion. Many clients tell me that it’s so valuable having a private space just to talk. Being listened to, being truly heard, can be such relief for the soul. But inevitably the bill arrives for each

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Magnifying glass
Therapy

Seeing through a glass darkly?

Recently some clients used similar phrases to describe how they were seeing themselves. They said things along these lines: There’s a window pane between me and life. I’m seeing life through a veil. Saint Paul the Apostle wrote about seeing and knowing one’s true self, in a Bible verse which was a letter to the

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woman choosing lipstick
Therapy

Are therapists regulated?

Big question and and important one. The one-word answer is: no. Why? Lack of regulation can expand choice. But what about quality? Some mental health professionals, such as doctors (GPs) and psychiatrists must have a GMC number to practice in the UK. This means that the General Medical Council has assessed their medical training and

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Therapy

What has quantum theory got to do with therapy?

Memories can be distressing. Many clients tell me about how they are troubled by events and memories from their past. Although those memories come from experiences that happened in the past and are over. Those memories can still have an impact later down the line. Distressing memories can cast a long shadow over the present

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Relationships

Breaking up is hard to do

In providing couple therapy, it’s a big dilemma for me to reconcile two principles I hold: to uphold client autonomy if one person in a couple wants to separate. to hold out further support to heal any fractures in their relationship. Often, couples show up to relationship therapy when the situation has worsened to quite

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Equine therapy for humans

Presence, power, patience

When talking about my therapy work recently, a colleague’s comment was along the lines that horses have such “presence, power, and patience” to be great therapists for humans. That phrase from the videographer called Bryn stayed with me. I made a note of it so I could reflect and write more about this idea. Horses

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Therapy

The starfish story. How I view my work.

A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore.  Further along he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking up one starfish after another and tossing each one gently into the ocean.  “Why are you throwing starfish into the

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Therapy

My response to COVID measures

As lockdown eases and we remain vigilant, my view is that there is a balance to be struck between providing support for my clients’ mental health, while remaining vigilant about COVID infection control. It seems like COVID will be around for some time, possibly increasing in prevalence during the Autumn/Winter of 2020. That said, I

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