Toni Kearton Counselling

21/11/2025

I went on a Therapeutic Tarot webinar yesterday, with the wonderful Stephen of https://naturetherapyonline.net/ . We were looking at the Hanged Man card. Possibly disturbing title? - yet in the image, he/she/they doesn't look distressed... and the beams they're hanging upside down from are alive and growing.

We talked about how we responded to this card. It speaks to me about taking time out, time away from normal life, in order to reflect, learn, change... It also seems to reference Odin, the Norse God, hanging from the World Tree for 9 days to gain wisdom. There's something here about change of perspective, looking at life/a situation from a different angle. I remember when I was doing Higher Art, my teacher suggested we stood back from a picture, held it up to the mirror, even (indeed) looked at it upside down - all to see it anew.

And it struck me this is one of the things we do in counselling - take time away from our normal life to explore whatever it is we need to look at, and see it from different angles... I wonder how this might resonate with you today?

And, as ever, if you're interested in counselling please get in touch. (I promise there won't be any literal hanging upside down from a branch!)

19/11/2025

I love this poem. It's written with such love, and describes so succinctly and movingly a whole cycle of grief - memories of her mother before; anger at her death; and then finding an ongoing connection with her mother - "and she comes to me again with silver / and turquoise on her wrists / in the sunlight." It's by Ursula le Guin (if I was forced to name just one favourite author, it would have to be her), about her mother Theodora, and comes from her collection So Far So Good - which she sent to her publisher only a couple of weeks before her own death in 2018. What love. What grace.

10/11/2025

I know I keep saying this, but I really mean it - it's an absolute privilege to walk alongside someone for a part of their journey, and for our relationship to enable self-development and understanding. Here's a recent client testimonial:
"My sessions with Toni have had a big impact on how I view life and personal relationships. I have learned new coping methods and perspectives in our sessions, that have helped me in all aspects of life and will continue to do so. Her approach to talk therapy feels really natural and I’ve come away from our sessions with more clarity, confidence, and a better understanding of myself."

10/11/2025

A Monday thought from the wonderful Julia Samuel - she's thinking about people using the word "uncomfortable" (I feel uncomfortable being there / saying that, etc) and what that word is really hiding. What's really going on? What are the emotions (and words) underneath that "uncomfortable"? (It's less than a minute and a half to watch, BTW - and is worth watching!)

07/11/2025

***Close your eyes for 10 seconds***
If you're feeling overwhelmed, this wee tip may help. Close your eyes for 10 seconds, take some deep slow breaths, perhaps visualise a calming place (if visualisation is your thing). Closing your eyes reduces sensory input (obviously); this pause can help clear your head, reduce stress, and help ground you. It can be helpful to do before entering a busy place - eg sit in the car with your eyes closed for 10 seconds before going into that meeting...

05/11/2025

A really nice infographic. I find this a really helpful way to think about grief (while bearing in mind we all grieve differently), and it's one I share with my clients quite frequently.

We're often told there is a set timeline for grief. The 'growing around grief' model challenges this idea.

This view of grief does not tell someone that their grief will go away in time. It acknowledges there will be some days you feel the grief so strongly, and others when you are able to move forward with other parts of your life.

The 'growing around grief' model shows that we can grow a new life which includes our grief.

For more information, head to our website ⬇️

https://ow.ly/ZtOb50Xkvo3

05/11/2025

“I’ve always felt I had to do things because they were expected of me, or more important, to make people like me. The hell with it! I think from now on I’m going to just be me—rich or poor, good or bad, rational or irrational, logical or illogical, famous or infamous.”

Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy

04/11/2025

A simple wee thing that can help. Will it solve everything? No. Might it help in the moment? Yes...

Inspirology

29/10/2025

I recently went on a one-day workshop looking at jealousy. It gets a bad press (green-eyed monster, anyone?) but we looked at what can be underneath it, and how it can be a "flashlight" that sheds light on things that really matter to you that are missing from your life. Emotions can be messages to yourself, and negative emotions can be telling you that something needs to change... Jealousy is a difficult and painful emotion, but it can be really helpful to acknowledge it, listen to it, and find out what it's telling you... If you want to explore this, or any other part of your emotional life in counselling, please feel free to get in touch.

27/10/2025

Sometimes it's really helpful / important / [insert word of your choice...] to take a step back, and a step out. Perhaps literally outside...

06/10/2025

What can I say but - it's wonderful when clients & I have a good therapeutic relationship, and it's an absolute privilege to walk alongside someone for part of their journey. I see one of the main aims of counselling as to help people become more fully (and more happily) themselves - so hearing from a client that this is what they've experienced is wonderful!

A recent client writes: 'Through my year of counselling with Toni, I have found peace with aspects of myself which were once causing me difficulty. Her encouraging, enthusiastic and gentle approach enabled me to explore difficult subjects in a safe and structured manner, with a relaxed atmosphere facilitating good discussion at all times. I'm coming away from my time with Toni feeling optimistic about the future, and happier in myself and who I am.'