The Good Therapy Practice

27/11/2024

Really enjoyed creating this occasional podcast with , on being a business owner in midlife. Listen on Spotify now…link in bio.

09/09/2024

After a busy and sociable weekend, this is how I’m feeling. What’s more, it’s a dark and wet Monday morning out there. So, how am I getting energised? So far, my routine of Lady Grey tea and my favourite playlist is helping, alongside some planning for the week. Already I can feel some sense of achievement and that’s a great place to build on. What gets you going when you’re feeling like this?

19/07/2024

This is our garden bee hotel. To be honest, we haven’t had any bees visit yet, as far as we know, but it’s there if they need it. I like to think of my therapy room, whether it’s online or zoom, in a similar way. When you’re going through something tough, having a place to rest and catch your breath is so helpful. There’s the cliche of “a safe space,” but like all cliches, there’s something in it. Therapy provides a place for you to say the things you’ve never said to anyone else, and even just the speaking aloud can heal. It’s a place to safely examine your patterns of behaviour, or hold a relationship up to the light and question if it’s right for you without having to endure the judgement of friends and family. However, it’s also a place to plan, create a strategy, make changes and embed them into your life. I’m here, if you need this.

24/06/2024

I’m doing a free workshop with on 13th July, all about communicating and connecting with teenagers. We’ll be looking at what’s happening to their brain at this fast changing period of life, and how you can help them with their mental health. Do email them to book your place!

21/05/2024

The first time I went past this wall of blossom I didn’t notice it. I was too caught up in my own thoughts about something or other. The second time I was running for a bus and once again went straight past, this time perhaps aware of some colour in the periphery of my vision. It was only on the third time, on a walk to get my steps in, that I stopped and admired it, all the time fighting the urge to keep moving and get that step count up. It was worth the wait, but I do wonder what other beauties in life I may have missed out on due to the sheer busyness of life. Do you find the same thing or would you have noticed first time?

01/03/2024

A happy St David’s Day to any of my fellow Welsh Instagramers out there!

27/02/2024

If you’re an entrepreneur, employer or business owner, seeing a therapist can not only help with whatever you’re going through right now, but may also help you cope better with the stresses of running a business. People pleading tendencies, dealing with difficult people, being held back by fears and doubts, all of these are common issues faced by entrepreneurs and we can work on them, together.

08/01/2024

My therapy room is nice and cosy on this chilly Monday morning. Looking forward to welcoming back clients today.

30/10/2023

I’m often encouraging my therapy clients to get outside for a walk first thing in the morning. Why? Because the sunlight at that time of day resets our body clocks, which helps with sleep. Getting your exercise in first thing feels good too. This is me, walking my talk, with a stroll along the Royal Military Canal in Hythe, before I start seeing my clients of the day.

16/10/2023

When I go sea swimming there comes a point when the toes on my right foot go into cramps and I know it's time to get out. This happens at all times of the year, although it occurs earlier in the winter. I know it's a sign that I need to get out, warm up, and congratulate myself on my swim. Many of my clients have similar "weaknesses" or, as I like to call them, "tells" (thinking of the tells that people show when they have a good hand or are bluffing in poker). For one client it might be that they get headaches, for another it's stomach issues, skin rashes or even just losing their temper quicker than usual.
Rather than get hung up on being annoyed with these, I invite you to look upon them as signs that you need to pause, slow down or even downright stop. Take them as hints that something is not quite right, and your next job is to work out what that is, so that you can address it.

One thing that can cause stress is other people, and today I'm particularly thinking of other people commenting negatively on your social media posts. It's a fear that actually stops many people from posting, and, if it happens, can send us into tailspins over what we should do.

It's been the theme of quite a few discussions I've had recently, and so I've decided to create a workshop around the subject. I'll be looking at it from the point of view of soothing ourselves, so that we can access the cognitive side of our brain and make a decision about what to do, if it does happen. I'll also be addressing it from a business and reputational point of view, looking at what steps you might want to take in this situation.

There's no fee for this workshop, and you can sign up here. There will be a recording, so do sign up even if you can't make it, although if you can, you can really get the most out of it. I hope to see you there.

Learn how to deal with negative social media comments and feedback in a free one hour workshop with business psychologist Paula Gardner.

05/09/2023

Today I'm taking a look at how to tell if therapy is going to be worth the investment for you:

The reasons why therapy is worth the cost and the times when therapy may help you to change behaviours, resolves issues and feel better

04/09/2023

Back to school for some and back to the consulting room for me! New clients and old today at my therapy rooms in Hythe, Kent. What could be a better subject to study than your own life?