Hazelwood Counselling Services, Retford

14/03/2026

🌿 Today we held our Open Day at Hazelwood Counselling Services in West Bridgford.

It was really lovely to welcome people from the local community into the space, to meet Jenny Roe who leads the work at the West Bridgford practice, and to have those first conversations about counselling and how she works.

Jenny has a particular interest in working with people who are neurodivergent, and it was good to be able to talk a little about that as well as the wider ways counselling can support people.

Opening the doors in this way felt important. Counselling can sometimes feel like a mysterious process from the outside, so it was good to simply offer a chance to come in, look around and talk.

Thank you to everyone who came along. It was a genuine pleasure to share the space with the West Bridgford community today. 🌿

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodforbusiness.co.uk
07753 742153

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

13/03/2026

🌿Someone said to me recently that when they get hungry, they become irritable and end up upsetting the people around them.

It was said lightly, maybe even jokingly. But it made me think.

Often the moments when we are shortest with others are the moments when something inside us has been asking for attention for quite a while.

We might be hungry.
Tired.
Overwhelmed.
Needing some quiet.

Part of nurturing the relationship we have with ourselves is learning to notice those small signals earlier.

To recognise what we need.
And to respond to ourselves with a little care.

In the therapy room I notice something quite often. People are usually very compassionate towards others, yet far less gentle with themselves.

Sometimes the relationship that most needs tending…

is the one we have with ourselves.🌿

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodforbusiness.co.uk
07753 742153

🌿

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

12/03/2026

🌿There’s a phrase many people carry quietly inside themselves.

“I’m too much.”

Too emotional.
Too sensitive.
Too intense.
Too outspoken.
Too complicated.

And so, little by little, people begin to soften their edges.

They apologise for their feelings.

They shrink parts of themselves to make life easier for others.

But sometimes what we call “too much” is simply a full and vivid way of being human.

In Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne writes:

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”

Perhaps the very qualities we learn to apologise for are also the qualities that bring warmth, creativity, empathy, curiosity and life into the world.

🌿

Sometimes the work is not becoming less of who you are.

But allowing yourself to be fully you again.🌿

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodforbusiness.co.uk
07753 742153

11/03/2026

🌿A small observation about being human.

It can sometimes be easier to care for other people than it is to care for ourselves.

Many of us are very good at looking after those around us.

We check in.
We listen.
We make sure the people we care about are okay.

But when it comes to our own wellbeing, we can be much less attentive to ourselves.

Our needs get postponed.
Our feelings get pushed aside.
Our limits quietly stretched.

It’s something I notice quite often in the therapy room.

People who offer enormous care and compassion to others, yet struggle to offer that same care to themselves.

Perhaps a useful question to sit with is this:

What happens inside me when I consider putting my own wellbeing on the list too?

The thoughts or feelings that arise in that moment can often tell us something important.

Perhaps the real work isn’t choosing between caring for others or caring for ourselves.

But learning how to hold both with care.

Thoughtful counselling, held with care.🌿

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodforbusiness.co.uk
07753 742 153

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

10/03/2026

🌿 You know that moment when someone says, “Have you got a minute?” and your stomach drops?

Sometimes stress doesn’t build slowly. It arrives as a curveball.

It might be a message you weren’t expecting, a misunderstanding, or one of those moments that suddenly tightens your stomach. The feeling can be a bit like when your boss says, “Have you got a minute? I need a quick chat.” Or when your computer freezes and you realise you may have lost the work you hadn’t saved.

Your body reacts before your mind has caught up.

Then the mind starts turning things over.

- Did I do something wrong?
- Could I have handled that differently?
- Have I upset someone?

Moments like these can catch us sideways. For some people, that feeling settles fairly quickly. For others, the mind can keep returning to it, replaying the situation, analysing every detail, trying to make sense of what happened and whether it could have been handled differently.

Often this happens because we care about the impact we have on others. Thoughtful people tend to reflect. We examine our actions. We look for where we might repair, adjust, or learn.

Reflection is often a strength. It keeps us connected to our values.

But there is also a point where reflection needs to soften into something kinder. Sometimes life simply brings situations we didn’t choose and couldn’t fully control. Not every uncomfortable moment is a personal failing. Sometimes it is simply two perspectives, two needs, or circumstances meeting at an awkward angle.

In those moments, it can help to come back to a steadier place within ourselves.

To be confident enough to hold our boundaries and stay true to who we are, while also remaining humble enough to recognise when we may have got something wrong.

Both things can exist at the same time.

Unexpected curveballs are part of being human. Learning how to steady ourselves afterwards is often where the real growth happens.

And sometimes the kindest thing we can do for ourselves is simply pause, take a breath, and allow the moment to pass without carrying it longer than we need to.

These are often the kinds of moments people quietly bring into counselling.

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
07753 742153

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

04/03/2026

We’ve written a short piece about our counselling work in West Bridgford and what people sometimes hope to find when they begin looking for a counsellor.

Often it isn’t just about “getting help”. People are looking for somewhere that feels thoughtful rather than clinical. Somewhere they can slow down, think things through and speak freely.

In the article we talk a little about the kind of space we offer in West Bridgford, and also about Jenny’s work supporting neurodivergent young adults and parents of children with SEN.

If you’re based locally and interested in learning more about how we work, you can read the article here: https://www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk/west-bridgford-new-counselling-practice/

To get in touch to find out more, call on 07753 742153 or email letstalk@hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

27/02/2026

🌿
At first glance, this looks like blossom.

Soft. Light. Almost celebratory against the blue sky.

But look a little closer.
It isn’t blossom at all.

It’s webbing. Fine strands woven tightly around the branches.
Something more complicated.

Something holding tension as well as beauty.
It made me think about how often we present our lives in “blossom mode”.

The curated photograph.
The steady smile.
The version of ourselves that feels acceptable to show.

And yet, underneath, many of us are carrying distress, uncertainty, grief, conflict, exhaustion.
Things that don’t make it into the frame.

At Hazelwood, it's not the polished surface, it's what’s underneath that matters.

The parts that feel tangled.
The parts that don’t look so harmonious.
The parts that need careful, steady attention.

We believe counselling doesn’t need to be loud or dramatic to be meaningful.

Often it is quiet.
Deliberate.
Unrushed.

A place where you don’t have to present the “blossom version” of your life.

Just the real one. 🌿

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
letstalk@hazelwoodforbusiness.co.uk
07753 742153

Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford

18/02/2026

A rare Saturday morning availability

Emma, Hazelwood counsellor, her Saturday morning appointments are usually fully booked.

She now has a small number of Saturday morning sessions available. For those who can’t manage weekdays, this may be an opportunity.

Emma offers a calm, supportive and non-judgmental space where experiences can be explored safely and at your own pace. She specialises in supporting individuals who have experienced coercive control or emotionally harmful relationship dynamics.

Saturday mornings can feel quieter. Less rushed. Space to think before the week begins again.

If you’d like to enquire, please get in touch via message or through our website.

🌿
Hazelwood Counselling Services
Thoughtful counselling, held with care.

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
07753 742153
Letstalk@hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk

18/02/2026

In a world that moves quickly…

There is a lot of energy around self-development at the moment.

Push forward. Improve. Optimise. Heal faster. Do the work.

And sometimes that energy is helpful.
But sometimes what is needed is something quieter.

The poem Dust if you must reminds us that not everything urgent is important.

Not everything labelled a “need” truly is one.

In counselling, we often explore the difference between:

What feels demanded
And what feels necessary

What is driven by pace
And what is driven by care

Sometimes the real need is not to move faster.
It is to pause.

To sit in a space that isn’t trying to energise you or push you onward.

To be met steadily.
To think.
To breathe.
To feel, without being hurried toward change.

At Hazelwood, we believe therapy does not have to be loud to be powerful.

It does not have to be urgent to be meaningful.

Sometimes the most important work happens quietly.

🌿
Hazelwood Counselling Services
Thoughtful counselling, held with care.

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
07753 742153
Letstalk@hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk

16/02/2026

This popped up in my feed today and I stopped for a moment.

Ten years ago I completed my Advanced Diploma in Counselling. I remember walking out feeling proud… and also slightly terrified. I didn’t have a grand plan. Just a belief that counselling should feel human, thoughtful and not rushed.

Hazelwood began in the smallest little therapy room. It wasn’t glamorous. There was no natural light. Just two chairs, and a quiet determination to do good work.

But, it was solid and steady. And it was full of real conversations.

There were moments of doubt. Moments of wondering whether I could make it sustainable. Moments of sitting with the weight of other people’s stories and hoping I was holding them well.

Ten years later, Hazelwood has grown into two practices, with warm therapy spaces in Hazelwood Counselling Services, Retford and Hazelwood Counselling Services, West Bridgford, with a team of counsellors I trust, respect and value deeply. Together, we offer specialist support that reflects the needs of our communities.

What moves me most isn’t the growth. It’s that the heart of it is the same. Creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be themselves and where healing happens.

I feel proud. And deeply grateful.

If you’ve been part of Hazelwood in any way over the last ten years, as a client, colleague, supervisee or supporter, thank you. Your trust is what built this.

And if you’re quietly wondering whether counselling might help, perhaps this is your gentle sign.

Here’s to the next ten years.

www.hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk
07753 742153
Letstalk@hazelwoodcounselling.co.uk

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16/02/2026

When research finally catches up with lived experience 🌿

Our colleagues at Hazelwood Counselling Services – West Bridgford have shared an important article on autistic burnout.
For many autistic adults, burnout is not simply “stress” or “workplace pressure.” It can mean profound exhaustion, a loss of previously reliable skills, increased sensory overwhelm, and a shrinking capacity to cope with everyday demands. It often develops in environments that expect constant masking or adaptation.
What matters about this research is not that autistic people are learning something new. It is that clinical and academic spaces are beginning to recognise what has been described for years.

At Hazelwood, we believe recovery is not about pushing harder. It is about reducing unrealistic expectations, increasing meaningful support, and creating space to live in ways that honour someone’s neurotype.

If you or someone you care about is navigating autistic burnout, you deserve understanding that goes deeper than “just stressed.”

You can read the full post and research link shared by our West Bridgford practice below

Background: Although autistic adults often discuss experiencing “autistic burnout” and attribute serious negative outcomes to it, the concept is almost completely absent from the academic and clinical literature. Methods: We used a community-based ...

10/02/2026

⭐️What is a pluralistic counsellor?

Being a pluralistic counsellor means that I don’t believe one way of working therapeutically is better than another.

Instead I am trained in different approaches and carry a toolbox of skills I can call on, including

💐 Creative therapies
🌺 CBT
🌼 Psychodynamic
🍁 Person centered

The pluralistic approach is a collaboration between therapist and client, working together to find the right pathway for them.

I love the illustration below, taken from the Pluralistic Practice website. If you’d like to read the article for more information here’s the link …

https://pluralisticpractice.com/main-blog/pluralist-philosophy/what-is-the-pluralistic-approach-and-how-is-it-different-from-integrative-and-eclectic-practices/