Dr Claire Plumbly

21/01/2026

What do bento boxes, lemons and microwaveable lunches all have in common??

They are all practical techniques for stress-eating that Dr Anna Colton and I discuss on this new podcast episode all about appetite and food intake when we are frazzled.

Aptly named Chew On This!

Podcast Episode · Chew On This with Dr Anna Colton · 21/01/2026 · 36m

17/01/2026

“Which type of therapy is suitable for me if I'm neurodivergent?”

“Do I need a diagnosis of ADHD or Autism before trying therapy?”

“Why do coping strategies work for everyone else but not me?”

The answer to all of these questions is... neuroaffirming therapy. A specific approach to therapies of any kind (CBT, EMDR, ACT, you name it!).

One of my experienced colleagues Dr Gemma Finlay-Carruthers has written a short article exploring what neuroaffirming therapy is, who it’s for, and how it's different from traditional approaches. Link in the comments here👇

14/01/2026

When someone returns to work from time off for their mental health in the UK, their employer has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to support them.

Examples include: a phased return to work, reviewing duties and making adjustments to the physical environment.

When I'm supporting a client in therapy as they return to work I:

1) offer to write a letter with recommendations to their employer of the adjustments that will make a real difference based on what we have learnt from our therapy together.

2) make time to talk about their own internal 'reasonable adjustments' too (we might also visualise these and operationalise how to try them out in their workplace).

A few examples of internal reasonable adjustments include:

- Understanding that your capacity rebuilds gradually, and that this includes cognitive as well as physical (which can be a surprise to many). For example, expect your focus, decision-making, emotional tolerance for challenges to be compromised. Trying, therefore, to start with 'easier' tasks to develop your confidence in your own skills again, and being patient with yourself if things feel harder or slower than before.

- Noticing if there a mindset around "I'm back and therefore should be operating at the same level as before" present (this is very common). If you notice this yourself try writing down these words to keep re-reading: "I'm back and easing myself back in, I have permission to go slowly".

- Loosening your grip on any familiar high (often unrelenting) standards for your work, and trying on more flexible standards for size e.g. "I would usually continue working on this for another hour to perfect it, but I'm tired and I've done a good enough first-draft so will send this version for now"

This is just a taster of adjustments which can support Post-Burnout Growth - "the process of coming back stronger after adversity by embracing your relationships, appreciating new elements of life, and becoming open to making positive changes".

Have you made any internal 'reasonable adjustments' when returning to work that you can share below?

(The quote is from p226 of my book Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You)

12/01/2026

We are very lucky to have Dr Gemma Finlay-Carruthers who I’ve worked with in a supervisory capacity or a few years but joined Plum Psychology last month.

Not only is she experienced with burnout, occupational trauma, PTSD, Anxiety, but is very knowledgable about neurodivergence and how this intersects with many areas of living. She before offers neuroaffirming EMDR, Compassion Focused Therapy and Schema Therapy.

Gemma’s online spaces have almost all booked up but she has one left on Thursdays at 11am. She will also have an in-person clinic at Hestercombe House from March on Fridays.

Here is a recent testimonial from a client Gemma worked with:

"I was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism in later life. I found this really tough as although more things now made sense, I grieved for what I felt I'd lost and struggles that could have been so much easier. Speaking to Gemma, who has lived experience together with her professional background was a life saver. I can't express how important it is to feel validated by somebody who understands exactly what you're going though. She was able to show me so many useful short resources to help me process the world in a more positive way and finally start to move away from being trapped in fight or flight response. Trauma built up over the years can be really difficult for neurodivergent people to unpick and process. Gemma understands this and gives a kind, neuro-affirming perspective that I'd never been able to access before despite numerous sessions of counselling, CBT and other therapies."

If you think Gemma sounds like a good match you can get in touch below to have an initial introductory call with her.

11/01/2026

My book made this select list of books fellow therapists recommend. So pleased. Thank you to Dr Jo Muller from The Neurodiversity Practice for putting it forward

It’s fair to say there’s no shortage of self-help books that promise to change your life in just a few easy steps. Endless bold claims, buzzy neuroscience and a whole lot of covers telling you to ‘heal’, ‘fix’ or discover the best version of yourself. So it’s little wonder so many of us feel quietly sceptical and vastly overwhelmed, especially at this time of year.⁠
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That’s why we went straight to the source. We asked therapists to share the psychology and self-help books they genuinely return to – and recommend to clients. The result is a thoughtful edit that meets you where you are, helps you understand yourself a little better, and – crucially – doesn’t treat being human as a problem to be solved. Tap the link for the full list: https://www.stylist.co.uk/books/therapists-on-the-self-help-and-psychology-books-they-actually-recommend/1047868

08/01/2026

I had a spring clean of all the Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR) resources and tools I've created in recent years.

I've put them all in one place - the creatively named EMDR Resources Page 🤣 on the Plum Psychology website.

Highlights include:
- The new quiz called Is EMDR Right For Me?
- An example case study using EMDR
- Instant access to a workshop to try EMDR techniques at home (this is the only one that's not free but I've put it onto a 50% discount for the whole of January)
- Articles about Intensive EMDR, Online therapy and how safe EMDR is.

If you have any questions about EMDR or trauma-processing send them in to me at info@drclaireplumbly.com, DM me or pop them under this post and I'll try to create a resource for you.

Pic below is of me mid-flow in the EMDR workshop I mention above!

Link to the page is in the comments of this post.

05/01/2026

First morning back at work got off to an exhilarating start 😊

I was invited to give a keynote to the staff of Weston College to open their wellbeing day in the ballroom of Weston Winter Gardens.

650 people! Which is the biggest live audience I’ve ever presented to - think I’ll be riding a high from this all week.

Couldn’t fit all 650 of us into a selfie… but we gave it a good go!

Had really stimulating conversations during and after the talk. The college have been through a lot in recent years and there’s been lots of change, so it’s positive to see leadership dedicating a whole day to consider the staff at this time.

Oh and I think I had my favourite feedback of a talk to date - “you came across so warmly, I just wanted to come up and have a hug”.

Get in touch if your team could benefit from my keynote: How To Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You, or I can send you a PDF of other options.

02/01/2026

I am looking for a few people to test run a new ‘Is EMDR Right For Me’ quiz -located on Plum Psychology EMDR resource page that is being built.

This is a reflective quiz - designed to get you thinking about whether this is a good option for you right now.

Please do take a look and let me know how you get on, have any questions or of course let if you spot a typo!

Take the Is EMDR Right For Me Quiz to find out if this is the right therapy for you. Written by an experienced EMDR therapist and founder of Plum Psychology

01/01/2026

✨ Our therapies at Plum Psychology include:

• EMDR
A structured trauma therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they no longer feel so overwhelming. We offer attachment-focused and IFS-informed EMDR for relational patterns, burnout, and complex trauma.

• EMDR Intensives
A focused, time-limited option for those who want deeper work over a shorter period — often helpful when weekly therapy feels too slow or when life feels stuck.

• CBT (including trauma-focused CBT)
Helps you understand how thoughts, behaviours, and emotional responses interact, and develop practical tools to reduce anxiety, low mood, and trauma-related symptoms.

• ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy)
Supports you to step out of unhelpful struggle with thoughts and feelings, and move toward a life guided by your values — even when things feel difficult.

• CFT (Compassion-Focused Therapy)
Designed to reduce shame and self-criticism by strengthening compassion, safety, and emotional regulation — particularly helpful for burnout and high-achieving clients.

All therapy is delivered by experienced clinicians

31/12/2025

This post is for any one who lives local to Taunton, Somerset - it’s a guide to navigating therapy options, from free to private centres and solo practitioners:

A guide to therapy options in Taunton, Somerset, UK

29/12/2025

End-of-year reflection posts are starting to appear on my feed. I'm doing a couple of reflections myself: one with my family (a lite version to get the kids involved), and a more businessy version on second Thursday of January with fellow psychologist business-owners. I also offer the chance to do this with my long-term clients when we come back in the new year.

If you haven't yet scheduled a time to do this yourself yet then here's a few good reasons why you should.

Studies show that when we pause and take time to do a structured review it can help us strengthen our capacity for resilience and give us insights about how we cope (which we can draw on next time - i.e. it improves your problem-solving abilities).

If you get into the habit of doing reflections regularly (e.g. through journaling) it can also strengthen your memory and generally improves your mental health.

Last December, when I did my end-of-year reflections I had a helpful insight that shaped 2025 - it doesn't seem revolutionary now I'm a year on, but at the time made a big difference to how I planned my business in 2025 and I'm grateful.

I realised that the pressure points in my home were July and December because my kid's school lives get a lot busier, and this has a knock on impact on me and my work.

There are school concerts, fetes and sports days to attend in those months- extra logistics creating more cognitive load and practically interrupting my week. What added to the stress in 2024 was my expectation about achieving the same level of outcome in my business during those periods even though this was unrealistic. It took a while to come back from that stressful period (as per the graph below!).

So in 2025 I managed this by focusing on my business essentials during the stressful months (seeing my weekly clients and managing my associate practice, Plum Psychology) and didn't schedule any 'extras' like EMDR intensives or writing articles in July and December in 2025.

I do think this helped me pace my year more in sympathy with the needs of my family and my energy levels, so it's something I plan to repeat in 2026, although I will be properly reflecting on my learnings from this soon!

Do you have a reflection from 2024 or from this year to share?

Refs:
Seitz-Brown, C. J., Neppl, T. K., & Schuler, K. L. (2018). Journaling enhances adult learning and retention of biology concepts: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(9), 1392-1408.
Burton, C. M., & King, L. A. (2016). The health benefits of writing about positive experiences: The role of broadened cognition. Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(4), 371-382
Falon SL, H***e S, Kangas M, Crane MF. The coping insights evident through self-reflection on stressful military training events: Qualitative evidence from self-reflection journals. Stress Health. 2022 Dec;38(5)

16/12/2025

Talking without change.
Agreeing all the time without challenge.
Pace that feels rushed, or work that feels directionless.

If that’s been your experience of therapy in the past or is something you fear from therapy please know that here, at Plum Psychology, our therapists are all:

⭐️ Regulated by the appropriate professional body
⭐️Trauma-trained
⭐️Experienced in delivering evidence-based therapy
⭐️ all began our careers in the NHS

We work slowly enough for safety
and skilfully enough for real change.

This Christmas give yourself the gift of supported change: we currently have 5 free introductory calls available in the first week of January.

You’re welcome to take one of these slots so you can begin your own therapy in the new year.

🔗 Book via the enquiry form linked in the comments below

-CBT