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Face to face, online or phone counselling - which is best for you? Choosing whether you want to have your counselling face to face, online or over the phone is a personal thing. What suits one person, might not suit another. The most important thing is that you feel as comfortable as possible during your sessions. Why choose face to face counselling? If you feel more comfortable with face to face interactions, in-person counselling might be a good choice for you. The benefits of face to face counselling include: You can see facial expressions and body language; It provides a space for your counselling which is separate from the rest of your life; It is helpful if you can't find a suitable, confidential counselling space for remote sessions; The travelling time can help you to transition into and out of your counselling sessions; You don't need to worry about whether your phone or internet signal is strong enough. Why choose to have counselling online or over the phone? Remote...

Are you aware that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week? It made me think about just how far we have come in our awareness and understanding of mental health. Hopefully, weeks like this will continue this progress. Unfortunately, support for people struggling with mental health issues is far from adequate. In my view this is something which desperately needs to change. In the meantime however, increasing our own knowledge and understanding may help us to take better care of ourselves. ...

Did you know that today is World Bipolar Day and Vincent Van Gogh’s birthday? This is not a coincidence. This hugely famous and influential artist was posthumously diagnosed with bipolar. Now his birthday has become a day for raising awareness of this condition. According to Bipolar UK, 1.3 million people in the UK have bipolar. Let’s hope then that days like this help to improve awareness and understanding, as well as the support available to those who need it.    ...

Did you know that today is Time To Talk day? On this day we are encouraged to talk about mental health. The aim is to reduce stigma and create more supportive communities where we can talk about mental health and seek help if we need to. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Therefore, making mental health something we can openly talk about is important, not just today, but everyday. If you want to know more visit https://timetotalkday.co.uk ...

I was reading an online article on how to look after yourself if you are grieving in the new year. Visit https://mindfulnessandgrief.com/manage-grief-in-the-new-year/ if you are interested. Number 1 on the list of suggestions was to create a different style of New Year’s resolution. One which focusses on self-compassion and self-care rather than self-improvement. It made me think that whether we are grieving or not, this might be a good idea. Focus less on being better or doing things better. Focus more on taking better care of ourselves. Perhaps then we would avoid reinforcing the message that we are not good enough. Instead we might show ourselves we are worthy of care. ...

For some of us it is, but lots of us find it difficult for many different reasons. This struggle can be made even tougher by the message that we should be enjoying ourselves and the sense that other people are. If you are worried about Christmas, the Mind website has some suggestions of things which may help. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/christmas-and-mental-health/christmas-coping-tips/ ...