Arise Counselling

04/09/2025

A really beautiful template to remember your child.

I know how triggering it can be to see all the school photos when you’ve lost a child. It is that gut wrenching moment when you’ll never get another one again. You not only grieve that they passed but for all the lost years as well.

To remember your child we have found this and would love for you to complete it and share it in the comments as we don’t think any child should be forgotten.

Sophie would be starting year 10, her favourite colour used to be yellow, her favourite foods were Wagamamas, cinnamon swirls, dirty rice, fajitas, hot dog etc, favourite things were dancing, Roblox, reading, being around people and liking boys a bit too much 😂.

02/09/2025

This first week in September can be tough.

Look after yourself.

02/09/2025

I now have a physical venue!

So pleased I can now also offer in-person therapy as well as online.

I have joined The Counselling Space in Eastleigh and look forward to meeting you where you are at.

Meet The Team!!

We would like to welcome Cherry 🥰

Cherry is a counsellor, we asked her some questions and this is what she had to say...

What do you do?

I am an integrative therapist and EMDR therapist in training. I specialise in working with adults who have experienced trauma and loss. I tend to attract people who have been the strong ones in their families for too long, coping with lots of difficulties and finding that they can’t hold it together anymore. It is at this point that often people reach out, and precisely it is also at this point where we can explore in therapy what hasn’t worked, and how we can rebuild in a way that feels healthier.

My approach can be described as integrative, which means I choose from a range of theories and tailor my approach to each client’s unique situation. Having said that, I find the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach really effective for trauma, and I often blend this in where appropriate.

Why do you do, what you do?

My pull to therapy training largely came from my own experience of having therapy in my 20s (and ongoing!). There was a lightbulb moment after a session where I went ‘I really want to be able to offer this to other people who are going through the same thing’. This was 15 years ago and it was the best decision I have made.

I truly believe in the power of therapy. Not only do I have first hand experience of how much it has helped me with my lived experience of grief and trauma, but I have seen this in my work with clients time and time again. I describe my work as not so much a job but more like a calling, to offer this therapeutic space to others.

When you don’t do, what you do. What would we find you doing?

I’m most likely having a cup of tea, lost in a good book! I have gotten into gardening recently, so in the summer you’ll find me checking on my tomatoes and beans, or looking up the next thing to grow. I also enjoy learning languages, and my inner child definitely likes to indulge in some Cantonese TV dramas from time to time!

What was the last great tv show, movie or book you watched/read and why did you like it?

‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi- I am late to the party with this one, but I liked its candid look at death in the first person - as the author chronicles his journey from being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in his thirties, to his final moments. The searching questions he asked, as someone faced with limited time, are ones that I think we should all answer. ‘What makes life worth living?’, ‘What does it mean to be fully alive?’. As a society we are not very good at talking about death, so I found this book an impactful read.

Learn more about Cherry via our website -

https://www.thecounsellingspace.info/cherry

Arise Counselling

28/08/2025

Do you struggle with grief? You're not alone. Many people struggle with it. There is no one way or the 'right way' to grieve. You simply allow what is inside, to come out.

26/08/2025

Hello! 👋 It's been a little while since I've posted and I thought I'd introduce myself to those who are new here 😃

Welcome to Arise Counselling! 🧡

The reason for the name 'Arise' is from a Bible verse, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.'' (Isaiah 60:1). It is my inspiration that therapy is like that light 🌅 which shines and enables us to arise from whatever it is that holds us down.

Here I hope to post things therapy-related, like tips on self-care, book recommendations, and quotes that have resonated with me. I hope they help you too!

I'm looking forward to being on here a little more consistently, so please come and say 'hello'! 😃

28/11/2022

Right now.

And ask yourself, 'what do I need, right in this moment?'

So often we live our days by to-do lists that we are not really aware of what we need. Unless we know what we need, we cannot meet that need.

You won't know you need to put a jumper on if you don't notice you are cold. You won't know you need to go to to toilet unless you feel the urge. You won't know you need a stretch unless you felt stiff.

And those are just needs on the physical level! But that is a good place to start to become more aware of yourself and what you need.

So why not, stop, take a moment to check in, what do you need right now? And how might you meet that need?

04/10/2022

When you go for therapy, your therapist may explore what makes you feel 'safe' or 'unsafe'. Do you ever wonder why this is so important?

I can't put it in better words than trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, so I'll borrow his words here:

'"If you feel safe and loved, your brain becomes specialized in exploration, play, and cooperation; if you are frightened and unwanted, it specializes in managing feelings of fear and abandonment." Bessel van der Kolk

When we have been traumatised, our brains become adaptive to threat to protect us from the same experience repeating itself. So the key in healing is learning to feel safe in your body again. Things that can help to sooth the nervous system are mindfulness, slowing down, mindful movement, yoga, learning to self-regulate with the help of a therapist... healing is possible!

Let me know of any other ways you use to feel safe! Comment below!

02/08/2022

When clients say 'Other people have it much worse', I sometimes respond 'I didn't know you entered the Pain Olympics!'.

Yes, I admit it's a tongue-in-cheek, slightly sarcastic response, but I use it to highlight how unhelpful this idea of pain comparison can be.

Just because another person has greater pain, does it mean we are not allowed to feel our own pain? Do we even need permission to acknowledge what we have been through?

We cannot heal from what we don't acknowledge.

It is the same as a person with a broken leg who will not go to the doctor because they cannot admit that it is hurting. It doesn't make sense to say 'that other person in a coma is much worse'. Yes they are, but you still have a broken leg!

We simply would not do that when it comes to our physical body, yet sadly many of us do it when it comes to our mental health.

I often feel a part of my work is to support clients to see their pain and acknowledge it. Because once that is in the open, we can begin the work of being with it and tending to it.

11/04/2022

It's been such a privilege to work with this unique individual who has never had counselling before. So grateful for this positive feedback.

05/04/2022

I haven't posted in a little while - I have been focusing instead on all the things I've been posting about: SELF CARE! It's good to be back though :-)

Recently I've had a few discovery calls with new clients where I've had a chance to explain my therapy approach as a holistic integrative counsellor: that I work in a way that is client-led, taking into account all the different facets of a person's life. After all, human beings are complex and multi-layered! My integrative training means I can draw upon a range of theories and skills as suitable to the person and issue that we are working with.

I've had some really positive feedback when therapy ended with a client a couple of weeks ago, who commented on how personalised my approach was to them and how I was able to go at their pace, which was exactly what they needed. 👏

28/01/2022

What do you do when you get tired?

We all get tired. It's natural.

But in a society that praises grind, productivity and hard work, we don't often see rest and relaxation having any place of use.

Which is why this quote has been an important motivator for me when I get tired. It reminds me of the restorative power of rest, and also, that rest may need to be learned and not always come naturally to us. Being raised in an Asian culture where productivity and busyness is default, I have had to learn what rest means to me.

It may be counter-intuitive but sometimes, the best thing to do to keep going is to rest!

07/01/2022

Happy Friday friends!

Following on from an earlier post this week about unlearning, I want to share the idea of digital decluttering.

We all know that a physical space can have a massive impact on our moods, and I often hear clients use the phrase 'tidy house, tidy mind'. I certainly have experienced the benefits of a good clean and getting rid of my clutter that accumulates over time.

What about digital clutter? That blog you signed up to years ago but haven't opened a single email in the last year, random people you don't remember anymore still on your friends list on Facebook, people you follow on instagram who makes you feel worst... is it time to do a good digital clear out too?

What do you think?