Joanne Reed Free to be me Counselling Services

Joanne Reed Free to be me Counselling Services Grief can turn your world upside down. It can leave you feeling lost, overwhelmed and unsure how to carry on. You do not have to face this pain alone.

Grief & Loss Therapist / Compassionate, specialist counselling for when the unthinkable happens / Online sessions / Based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire / Evening appointments available / Call, text or email to arrange an appointment or to learn more The emotions that come with loss often feel confusing and unpredictable; sadness that feels endless, anger that takes you by surprise, guilt that weighs heavily, or a deep sense of abandonment and loneliness. When the loss is through suicide, these feelings can run even deeper, leaving you searching for answers you may never find. I am a Grief and Loss Counsellor, specialising in supporting people who are living with bereavement, with a particular focus on those affected by suicide. My role is to walk alongside you, offering a safe, compassionate space where your feelings can be spoken about openly and without judgement. Together we can begin to make sense of your grief, ease the weight of guilt and self-blame, and find ways to cope with the hardest days. Through our work together, many people begin to feel less alone, more understood and more able to find moments of peace. Over time, you may notice a shift as you start to see a path forward, not about forgetting your loss, but learning to carry it while reconnecting with life in a way that feels meaningful again. With the right support, it is possible to feel lighter, more open and more hopeful about the future. I create a warm, open environment where you can really be yourself, say what you need to say and take the mask off, even if just for a short time. If you are ready to start work together please get in touch. I am an Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I am a recognised provider for Aviva, WPA & Vitality Health. Google My Business:
https://g.co/kgs/qyz9Gbh

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/

What Grief Does To The Body.Grief can cause:Chest tightnessHeadachesStomach issuesFatigueDizzinessMuscle tensionWhen you...
15/04/2026

What Grief Does To The Body.

Grief can cause:

Chest tightness

Headaches

Stomach issues

Fatigue

Dizziness

Muscle tension

When you’ve witnessed illness or sudden death, these sensations feel loaded.

The mind says:

“This is it. Something is wrong.”

Understanding the physiology reduces panic.

An anxious body amplifies normal sensations.

A traumatised system misreads ambiguity as danger.

Knowledge reduces shame.

I help clients understand what is happening in their body, helping to reduce their anxiety and feel calmer and more connected. Get in touch to see how we could work together.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Before and After Therapy: What Actually Changes.Before:“I avoid everything that reminds me.”“I can’t cope with social ev...
14/04/2026

Before and After Therapy: What Actually Changes.

Before:

“I avoid everything that reminds me.”
“I can’t cope with social events.”
“I feel on edge constantly.”
“I don’t want to burden anyone.”

After:
“I can choose what I attend.”
“I understand my triggers.”
“I don’t spiral every time.”
“I can talk about them without collapsing.”

Notice:

Not “fixed”.
Not “over it”.

But steadier.
More choice.
Less fear.

That is real change.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Something clients often tell me…“I don’t want people to see how much I’m struggling.”Many of the people I work with are ...
13/04/2026

Something clients often tell me…

“I don’t want people to see how much I’m struggling.”

Many of the people I work with are competent, capable, high-functioning.

They hold careers. Families. Responsibilities.

They are the “strong one”.

Behind that identity:

They panic in the supermarket.

They cry in the car.

They replay the death over and over.

Strength can become armour.

Therapy is often the first place they take it off. I help people to unmask, let their guard down and begin to connect with themselves and what they are experiencing. I offer flexible appointments and a free 15 minute introductory call.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Good morning.Grief doesn’t only bring sadness. For many people, it brings anxiety.Fear of dying. Fear of losing someone ...
10/04/2026

Good morning.

Grief doesn’t only bring sadness. For many people, it brings anxiety.
Fear of dying. Fear of losing someone else. Fear of the next phone call.

Have you noticed yourself worrying more about your health since the loss?

Checking symptoms. Googling late at night. Feeling panicked about minor changes in your body.

Grief can make mortality feel very real and that can trigger health anxiety. My latest blog explores why this happens, and how to begin feeling steadier again.

You can read it here:
https://www.freetobemecounselling.co.uk/free-to-be-me-blog/griefandanxiety

If you would like support I have availability. Get in touch to book an appointment.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

An April reflection on grief, anxiety and the fear that follows loss.

Why Social Anxiety Increases After Bereavement.Loss disrupts identity.You may no longer know how to answer:“How are you?...
10/04/2026

Why Social Anxiety Increases After Bereavement.

Loss disrupts identity.

You may no longer know how to answer:

“How are you?”

“What’s new?”

“How’s the family?”

You are carrying something heavy in rooms that feel light.

Common patterns I see:

Over-rehearsing conversations

Avoiding eye contact

Leaving early

Drinking more to cope

Exhaustion after short interactions

This is not a personality flaw. It is a system managing threat and unpredictability.

Therapeutic work often includes:

Preparing for triggering conversations

Setting boundaries without over-explaining

Rebuilding social confidence in manageable steps

Processing shame around “not being who I was”

You are allowed to change. I have availability just get in touch.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Grief and loss: When You Don’t Want to See Anyone.After loss, especially su***de loss, social spaces can feel unbearable...
09/04/2026

Grief and loss: When You Don’t Want to See Anyone.

After loss, especially su***de loss, social spaces can feel unbearable.

You might think:

“They’ll ask questions.”

“They’ll say the wrong thing.”

“I’ll cry.”

“I’ll have to comfort them.”

So you cancel and then feel guilty.

You are not antisocial.
You are protecting a nervous system that feels exposed.

The goal is not to force yourself into crowded rooms.

It is to rebuild tolerance gradually in ways that feel safe, not performative.

You are allowed to need smaller circles for a while.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

“I thought I was going mad.”A client once told me this in our first session. She was grieving her brother’s su***de. She...
07/04/2026

“I thought I was going mad.”

A client once told me this in our first session. She was grieving her brother’s su***de. She couldn’t sleep. She avoided driving. She checked her pulse constantly.

She felt ashamed of the anxiety, as though it meant she wasn’t coping “properly”.

Over time we worked on:

Understanding the link between trauma and hypervigilance

Reducing late-night reassurance rituals

Gradual exposure to avoided situations

Processing the shock beneath the anxiety

Months later she said:

“I still miss him every day. But I don’t feel like I’m in danger all the time.”

That shift matters. Grief remained but fear no longer ran her life.

You don't have to do this alone.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

A quiet truth about my work.Much of what I do doesn’t look dramatic.It looks like:Sitting with someone while they say th...
06/04/2026

A quiet truth about my work.

Much of what I do doesn’t look dramatic.

It looks like:

Sitting with someone while they say the thing they’ve never said aloud.

Gently asking the question they are afraid to think.

Not flinching when they talk about su***de.

Helping them slow their breathing when anxiety spikes mid-sentence.

I chose this work because I am not afraid of difficult conversations.

Grief and anxiety are often tangled together and many people have been told to “stay strong” rather than explore what is happening underneath.

Therapy with me isn’t about pushing positivity. It is about creating steadiness. A place where your fear can be named without judgement.

I have availability, just get in touch.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Wishing you a gentle Easter.For some people, this weekend will be filled with family, noise, trips out and far too much ...
05/04/2026

Wishing you a gentle Easter.

For some people, this weekend will be filled with family, noise, trips out and far too much chocolate.

For others, especially if you are grieving, it may feel quieter… or heavier.

Days that are meant to feel light can sometimes highlight the space someone once filled. Traditions can feel different. Energy can feel low when everyone else seems to be celebrating.

If that’s your experience this Easter, please be gentle with yourself.

You don’t have to match anyone else’s pace or mood.

Maybe today simply looks like a slow morning, a walk if the weather allows, a phone call with someone safe, or yes, eating some chocolate without overthinking it.

Grief doesn’t disappear on holidays but moments of small comfort are still allowed.

However you are spending the weekend, take care of yourself.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Bank holidays are supposed to feel like something to look forward to.Long weekends.Trips away.Family gatherings.Everyone...
03/04/2026

Bank holidays are supposed to feel like something to look forward to.

Long weekends.
Trips away.
Family gatherings.
Everyone talking about plans.

But when you’re grieving, bank holidays can feel very different.

The usual routines disappear. The days stretch out.

There is suddenly more time to think, more quiet space for memories, and more moments where the absence of the person who died feels impossible to ignore.

While other people are planning barbecues, outings or Easter weekend get-togethers, you might find yourself wondering how you’re supposed to fill the time.

Sometimes clients tell me the hardest part isn’t the day itself, it’s the contrast.

Seeing families together when your own feels altered. Being asked, “What are you doing this weekend?” when the honest answer is, “Just getting through it.”

Feeling pressure to join in when your energy simply isn’t there.

Grief doesn’t take a long weekend.
It doesn’t pause for holidays.

If this bank holiday weekend feels heavier than you expected, there is nothing wrong with you.

You’re responding to a loss that changed the shape of your life.

You are allowed to keep the days simple.
You are allowed to opt out of things that feel too much.
And you are allowed to move through the weekend at your own pace.

Sometimes getting through is enough.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

02/04/2026

If your heart races when the phone rings…

If you panic when someone is late…

If you Google symptoms at 1am…

It doesn’t mean you’re dramatic.

It means your system has learned that something terrible can happen without warning.

Grief is not just tears.
It is vigilance, and it can be worked with.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Health Anxiety After Loss: The Fear No One Talks About.Many bereaved clients tell me they Google symptoms late at night....
02/04/2026

Health Anxiety After Loss: The Fear No One Talks About.

Many bereaved clients tell me they Google symptoms late at night.

Headache? Brain tumour.
Chest pain? Heart attack.
Dizziness? Something serious.

After watching someone die, especially unexpectedly, the body feels fragile.

Common thoughts:

“What if I’m next?”

“What if I’ve missed something?”

“What if no one would find me?”

This isn’t attention-seeking. It’s trauma imprinting itself onto the body.

When death has come too close, your nervous system starts scanning for the next threat.

In therapy we don’t dismiss these fears. We explore:

What triggered the first spike?

What meaning your mind attached to it?

How avoidance keeps the fear cycling

How to reduce reassurance-seeking without increasing panic

Health anxiety after bereavement is common. It is treatable and you don’t have to feel embarrassed about it.

Appointments available, just get in touch.

Best wishes

Joanne Reed
Grief and Loss Counsellor, Huddersfield and Online
Free To Be Me Counselling

Email: enquiries@freetobemecounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07594 720245

Address

Huddersfield

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447594720245

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