Hilda Burke Psychotherapy, Ashchurch Therapy Practice

03/01/2026

Honoured that my letter about 'ai therapists' has claimed the top spot in today's . 99% of my clients come to me because of relationship issues - all types of relationships.. but all involving humans! Ai can be wonderful. We've just started to scratch the surface of what it can do. But if you want to work on your relationships with humans, best to work with a human!

19/12/2025

Santa has come early! I feel very lucky indeed to have received an early copy of  's book 'Little Addictions'. Although I'm only a few chapters in, there's already so much good stuff to savour, all written in Catherine's inimitable style. It's funny ('Croc-wearing pre-frontal cortex' is definitely a keeper!) , educational and really practical with lots of well researched advice on how to better manage our relationships with a motley mix of substances and behaviours (including, but not limited to, technology, junk food, ni****ne, s*x, dating, shopping, gossip) that can prove sticky even for those of us for whom the word 'addict' does not apply. I'm super honoured to have been quoted in a fourth Catherine Gray book, this time alongside experts such as and Natasha Dow Schull whose work I've long admired.

Full disclosure: Bran used as a model here in order to garner more likes (*flicks to section of Little Addictions that deals with 'dopamine'!)

18/09/2025

*A completely non obligatory photo taken outside BBC HQ, Portland Place, after my live interview on  's Moral Maze, hosted by Michael Buerk.*

The Moral Maze is my favourite radio programme so it was a real honour to be invited back as a witness alongside veteran war photographer Paul Conroy , Dr Jamie Whyte and Professor Rik Peels.

The topic was 'to know or not to know?', looking at whether, in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, we have a 'moral duty' to watch real-life violence in order to gain a deeper understanding of a situation? 

I spoke mainly about how being exposed to traumatic real life images and video content (usually shared via social media) can affect developing brains. And it's not just 'kids' that can be impacted. Our brains only reach complete development in our mid 20's - estimated at 24 for women and 27 for men. 

The dominant theory of disaster mental health used to be the 'bull’s-eye" model.This asserted that the negative mental health effects of a disaster were directly related to how close the person was to the epicentre of the event. But, increasingly,  studies are finding that the negative mental health effects of disasters extend far beyond the immediate disaster area.

 

Physical proximity is no longer as relevant  as that 'bulls eye' could actually be up close footage on a screen thousands of miles away.

Click on the BBC Sounds website (or wherever you get your podcasts) and search for 'Moral Maze' to hear more.

     

18/09/2025

*A completely non obligatory photo taken outside BBC HQ, Portland Place, after my live interview on  's Moral Maze, hosted by Michael Buerk.*

The Moral Maze is my favourite radio programme so it was a real honour to be invited back as a witness alongside veteran war photographer Paul Conroy , Dr Jamie Whyte and Professor Rik Peels.

The topic was 'to know or not to know?', looking at whether, in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, we have a 'moral duty' to watch real-life violence in order to gain a deeper understanding of a situation? 

I spoke mainly about how being exposed to traumatic real life images and video content (usually shared via social media) can affect developing brains. And it's not just 'kids' that can be impacted. Our brains only reach complete development in our mid 20's - estimated at 24 for women and 27 for men. 

The dominant theory of disaster mental health used to be the 'bull’s-eye" model.This asserted that the negative mental health effects of a disaster were directly related to how close the person was to the epicentre of the event. But, increasingly,  studies are finding that the negative mental health effects of disasters extend far beyond the immediate disaster area.

Physical proximity is no longer as relevant  as that 'bulls eye' could actually be up close footage on a screen thousands of miles away.

Click on the BBC Sounds website (or wherever you get your podcasts) and search for 'Moral Maze' to hear more.

     

11/01/2023

tt was an honour to chat with Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio about phone addiction earlier today. Irish smartphone use is prodigious, outstripping that of most of our European counterparts. Did you know that Irish people check their phones 57 times per day? That's 40% more than the European average. The proportion of those checking their phone more than 100 times per day in Ireland is double the European average (16 % versus 8%). In addition, 56% of Irish smartphone users think they use their phones too much versus just 39% in the UK.

With the average Irish adult spending almost 5 hours a day on their smartphones, we hear how to approach device addiction and reduce your scrolling and scree...

14/11/2022

It was a pleasure to contribute to anf 's great agony aunt column in yesterday's .

"We shared your problem with the psychotherapist and couples counsellor Hilda Burke, author of The Phone Addiction Workbook, and that was the first thing she recognised. “I’ve worked with many women who judge their ‘enjoyment’ of s*x not on their own but rather their partner’s experience of the s*x,” she says. “How much they ‘enjoy’ it is not so much linked to their own pleasure, but how their partner rates it.”
Burke suggests that you start “putting some focus and attention on your own s*xual needs rather than focusing so much on your ‘performance’. It may be unfamiliar to you to check in with yourself and your own needs, but working with a good therapist, or psychos*xual therapist in particular, could be very helpful.”"

*xuality *xualperformance

27/06/2022

We explore how tapping therapy - also known Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) - works, before sharing some top tips on how to get started...

18/06/2022

Repost from

Latest podcast: Is the wellness industry making us sick?

The wellness industry is valued globally at a staggering $4.5 trillion. Wellness trends are built on the prevention-not-cure ethos – they remind us of our ability to look after ourselves through lifestyle choices, encourage us to make time for ourselves, and provide innovative and accessible ways to manage the stressful and frightening times we are living through.

However, the monetisation of personal health goals, particularly on a large scale, poses a risk to the physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of the consumer. Insecurities and ailments equal profit – to what extent is the wellness industry designed to highlight and sometimes to invent them? Is the perfect consumer an insecure one?

Recorded live at , in this episode join panellists , integrated psychotherapist and author of The Phone Addiction Workbook; Sarah Greenidge, Founder of ; , nutritionist, health coach and independent consultant for Arbonne; and , Chief International Officer for  as they shed light on the best way for consumers to navigate the industry, options for regulation, and how the industry itself can be incentivised to truly put consumer wellbeing first.

Podcast available via ink in Aspen UK bio and via Spotify, Apple podcasts etc.

17/06/2022

Panellists discuss the issues surrounding the wellness industry.

24/05/2022

Always a pleasure to do an interview in my native land! Chatted to
Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 earlier today about how to overcome phone addiction.

Hilda Burke, Psychotherapist & author of The Phone Addiction Workbook

19/05/2022

19/05/2022

"Hilda says that although phone addiction has not been officially recognised as an addiction, those who use their devices a lot can show signs of addictive behavior: “There are some of the hallmarks of addiction amongst heavy phone users...it is that thing of, if I cannot get the hit, how disturbed do I feel? If I am without it overnight or during the day, how on edge do I feel?”"

https://www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-real-health-podcast/real-health-podcast-the-phone-addiction-episode-with-psychotherapist-hilda-burke-41663866.html