Donna Marie Counselling.

27/03/2026

This was me yesterday!!!

15/03/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible women who give so much love every single day. 💐

Today we celebrate the mums who guide us, support us, and shape our lives with their kindness and strength. We also hold close in our hearts the mums who are no longer with us — your love and memories live on forever.

We’re also thinking of those who long to be mums, those on difficult journeys, and anyone finding today a little harder. You are seen, and you are not alone.

To every mum, step-mum, grandma, mother figure, and those carrying a mother’s love in their hearts — today is for you.

14/03/2026

There are several reasons I choose not to immediately tell people my profession, especially in casual social situations. None of them mean I am ashamed of it—it’s about boundaries, my energy levels, and social dynamics.

1. I don’t want to be “on duty” all the time - when people hear I am a therapist, conversations often shift. People start sharing very personal problems and ask for advice or emotional support treating me like a free counsellor. Not to mention it helps me have normal conversations without being pulled into work mode.
2. People can become self-conscious around me. Some people feel like they’re being analysed or judged when they know I am a therapist. Even though I am not doing that, they may: watch what they say more carefully and joke nervously about being “psychoanalysed”.
3. It protects my emotional battery. Therapy work already involves a lot of listening, empathy, and emotional processing. Outside of work, I simply want: light conversation, to be the one talking instead of listening and a break from heavy topics. Not disclosing my role helps maintain that boundary.

But the most important reason I do not disclose, is because outside of the therapy session - I am a pyjama wearing feral human being!!!!

08/03/2026

07/02/2026

Clients: “Have a great weekend!”
Me, on Saturday: bonding with the office carpet and a wet and dry vacuum.

06/02/2026

Friday, a tiny miracle we get once every seven days.

05/02/2026

I was almost late for my first client today—not traffic, not bad timing… a broken heel on my boot!!!!!
Had to drive back home to change.
Client: “Why didn’t you just work in your socks?”
Me: gestures wildly THIS is why I couldn’t work in my socks!!! 😂

Turns out your therapist doesn’t always have their life together and sometimes wears do-nut socks… and today was proof!!!

03/02/2026

This is a super common—and surprisingly awkward—therapy boundary issue. Short answer: it’s normal, it happens.

Most therapists are trained not to acknowledge clients in public unless the client initiates. Why?
• Protects client confidentiality
• Avoids outing the therapeutic relationship
• Gives the client full control over whether to engage

This is why I cover this explicitly in informed consent with “If you see me in public, you didn’t” and if I see a client before they see me, (I saw 2 clients Saturday while out for lunch) I walk as “normally” as I can into the nearest shop!!!

31/01/2026

January always feels like it has 300 days!!!

Here’s to February being shorter, lighter, and at least pretending to be kind.

30/01/2026

What happens in a therapeutic hour?

The first 50 minutes, create a clear beginning and end, which supports emotional safety, boundaries, and containment. The remaining 10 minutes (in a traditional hour) allow the therapist to reset, document, and prepare - protecting both client and clinician from emotional spillover.

It’s not just time—it’s a container.

27/01/2026

A study from the University of East Anglia found that the aroma of freshly baked pizza can help calm nerves and improve mood. A biometric analysis showed that many people reported feeling comforted by the smell, and some experienced a noticeable uplift in mood, effects linked to activation of the brain’s emotional centers and the release of feel‑good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. 

The comforting effect appears to come not just from eating pizza, but even from smelling it. Researchers believe this response engages the limbic system, the part of the brain that handles emotions and memory, helping reduce stress and anxiety. Whether it’s the scent of baking dough or the anticipation of sharing a slice with friends, pizza seems to offer both psychological and social comfort when you need a moment of relief.