Below is a hyperlink to an interesting article about what makes a good therapist. It provides information about the skills and attributes to look out for and useful questions to consider in the initial stages of your search.

Whilst I am always happy to answer any questions you may have, I appreciate I might not be the right therapist for you, knowing this is part of the process will hopefully keep you searching for the right person to help.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/insight-therapy/201603/10-ways-spot-good-therapist

https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/what-is-counselling.html

The above hyperlink takes you to a useful article to read if you would like to know more about counselling and the different types of therapy that are available. Working out what type of therapy may be suitable for you can be difficult therefore doing some background reading may help you work this out. All therapists/counsellors are aware of this therefore speaking to a professional and asking their opinion can also be a good starting point.

A client drew the above art work for me, it depicts Carl Jung, who was a pioneer of modern psychiatry and a philosopher, it also came with a quote on the back that meant something personal to the client and was the inspiration for the drawing itself:

No tree, it is said,

can grow to heaven

unless it’s roots reach down to hell

A quote of C. Jung’s that I particularly like is:

Everything that irritates us about others

can lead us to an understanding of ourselves

Something I have to remind myself on a regular basis!

I came across the above quote on Twitter yesterday, it reminded me that the show, which first aired in 1966, was the first programme to pioneer inclusivity and connectedness with others at a time when other programmes were mainstream and trying to fit within the very small viewpoint of what was considered “normal”.

As times slowly change, for me delighting in difference is to consider and accept ourselves as unique and understand that working towards gaining acceptance of this is often more fulfilling than striving for the unachievable and unnecessary “normal”. It is useful to remind ourselves that the world would be a far less interesting place if we were all the same!

I recently bought a book called “The things you can see only when you slow down” by Haemin Sunim. It’s a collection of quotes and ideas written by a Zen Buddhist teacher and writer from South Korea. The book also has artwork by Youngcheol Lee which really complements the writing. The book has chapters on rest, mindfulness, passion, relationships, love, life, the future and spirituality. It’s well worth a look if you are looking for a bit of inspiration in terms of how to calm a busy mind!

Sometimes life throws us a curveball for no reason that we can fathom.

But do not despair.

We are not alone. We can persevere.

This too shall pass, like the heat of summer.

Haemin Sunim

Mental Health Awareness Week

The 4th-20th May was Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the focus was on stress, looking at what we can do to manage and reduce stress in our lives and featured some recommendations for the government in creating a stress-free UK.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

What is CBT? (Cognitive behavioural therapy)

Want to know more about CBT and how it can help? The BABCP have a useful article on their website explaining CBT, how it works and how it can help.

https://www.babcp.com/Public/What-is-CBT.aspx