Cypselae Counselling

06/01/2026

Hello, I hope 2026 is treating you well so far!

I have mentioned in the past that grief is not a linear process, and so, in my latest YouTube video, the fourth in my series on death, grief, loss and bereavement, I am sharing another model for grieving.

This time, I talk about Tonkin’s Model of Grief as I think this can be a really helpful tool for those who have lost a loved one. I discuss how emotions can and will change over time, sharing some of my own personal experiences with grief.

Check out the video over on my channel:

This is the fourth video in my series on death, grief, loss and bereavement. In this video, I take a look at another model for grieving, this time looking at...

04/01/2026

Talking therapy can be a positive and effective way to manage your mental health, especially if you are dealing with death, grief or loss right now.

In my latest blog, I share seven reasons that counselling and talking therapy are so powerful,

If this post inspires you to try talking therapy in 2026, please reach out to find out more about my counselling services:

Call me on 07849 433164 📞
Or drop me an email or message ✉️

:

In a world where we’re often told ‘just push through’ or ‘keep your chin up, ’ talking therapy can be a very important tool. Here are why 7 reasons talking therapy is so powerful.

01/01/2026

28/12/2025

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a well-deserved break 🎄

I know from personal experience that this time of year can be really tough when you’re dealing with death, grief and loss. And this pain does not go away just because it’s Christmas.

So I thought today would be a good time to share the third video in my series on loss and grief.

This time, I will be looking at the different stages of grief, as set out by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross:

https://youtu.be/gYaj5GOgfd0

You can find all previous videos on death, grief, loss and bereavement over on my YouTube channel.

This is the third video in my series on death, grief, loss and bereavement. In this chapter, I take a look at Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ model on the five stages...

24/12/2025

Feeling overwhelmed this festive season?

That’s perfectly normal! Even the biggest Christmas enthusiasts can experience moments of stress, overwhelm, and even sadness during this time.

If you’re struggling over the next couple of days, take a moment to stop and breathe. Here are five somatic breathing exercises that can help to ground you and reset your mind:

Are you feeling overwhelmed? If so, this video will teach you five somatic breathing exercises that will bring you back to your body and provide you with a m...

23/12/2025

Growing Around Grief is a model created by grief counselor Dr. Lois Tonkin. Tonkin came up with the model after speaking to a client about the death of their child. The woman told Tonkin that at first grief filled every part of her life. She drew a picture with a circle to represent her life and shading to indicate her grief. It was all-consuming.⁠
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She had thought that as time went by the grief would shrink and become a much smaller part of her life. But what happened was different. The grief stayed just as big, but her life grew around it. There were times where she felt the grief as intensely as when her child first died. But there were other times where she felt she lived her life in the space outside the circle.⁠
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This view of grief does not tell someone that their grief will go away in time. You will never be "over it." It acknowledges that there will be some days where you feel grief as strongly as you did when the person first died. But there will also be days when you are able to move on with other parts of your life.⁠
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The "growing around grief" model shows how we can still grieve the loss of our loved one while carrying on with our own lives. It shows that we can grow a new life which includes the loss.⁠

🎨 Art by creative.clinical.psychologist on Instagram
✍️ Words by Cruse Bereavement Support

22/12/2025

The other day, I saw a post on Instagram called ‘The things you don’t get told about when somebody dies,’ and it got me thinking about my own personal experiences with death and loss. 
 
I thought it might be helpful to share some of these experiences with you, as nobody told me loss would: 
 
🧠 Have such a physical impact on my body 
😔 Make me feel so isolated 
💫 Change the rest of my life and my whole outlook on it 
🎢 Be such an emotional rollercoaster - it’s not a linear process 
 
Is there anything you experienced missing around death and loss that you think is missing from this video? If so, please share below. 
 
And if you’d like to see my full video on this subject, you can check it out on my YouTube channel; the link is in my bio 🔗 
 

15/12/2025

I saw an Instagram post recently called ‘the things you don’t get told about when somebody dies,’ and I thought it would make a really interesting talking point.

In my latest YouTube video, I share some of my experiences and the things that happen when you're grieving that you don’t typically hear about.

This can be especially helpful if you've not experienced the death of a loved one before or if you’re currently navigating grief and you wonder if your feelings are natural:

This is the second video in my series on death, grief, loss and bereavement. In this video, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the things that no...

11/12/2025

Loss is something that we will all experience in our lifetimes, and that doesn’t just mean the death of a loved one.

There are lots of different types of loss and grief that we may experience, and each can have a significant impact on us.

If you’re grieving or struggling with loss right now and you need someone to talk to, please get in touch to find out how my counselling services can support you and help you move forward in your life.

You can also find out more about the different types of loss in my latest YouTube video: https://youtu.be/QKoieWQKHSk

08/12/2025

If you’ve never had talking therapy before, you might be confused or anxious about what it is and how it can help you.

In the latest Cypselae blog, we ask:

- What is talking therapy?
- How does talking therapy work?
- Is talking therapy done in person?
- What are the different types of talking therapy?
- How does talking therapy help?

And you can find the answers to your questions here:

Talking therapy offers a supportive place for you to speak openly, explore your thoughts, and learn healthier ways to cope. But what is talking therapy and how does it work?

03/12/2025

It’s that wonderful time of year full of festive joy, twinkling lights, comfort food and cosy jumpers 🎄

But Christmas and New Year can also stir up a lot of challenging emotions, especially if you’re experiencing loss or missing someone important around the table this year.

Death, loss, grief and bereavement are huge topics to tackle, but it’s something we will all experience in our lives. So this month, I’ll be sharing a series of YouTube videos in five parts to talk about this.

You can check out the first part of the series on the different types of loss over on my channel now:

This is the first video in my series on death, grief, loss and bereavement. Death is something that will impact us all throughout our lifetimes, and within d...