Iva Dragostinova Counselling

05/09/2025

September is here, and with it, a season of change 🍁. Some of us breathe a sigh of relief, others are left wondering how to adjust to the new routine.

🍂 In my latest blog, I reflect on how we experience this time of year — from parenting routines to life changes and everything in between. ❤️

Read more here: https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/2025/09/05/the-many-faces-of-september-relief-sadness-and-everything-in-between/

09/07/2025

Not all grief is named.
Some losses live quietly in us—
hard to name, socially quietened, taboo...

🤍 The family you hoped for but couldn’t have.

🌓 A parent who’s still here… but no longer themselves.

🕊️ The version of you, you let go of, to keep going.

💔 Friendships that faded without explanation.

🪞 The body you don’t recognise anymore.

🏠 The home that stopped feeling like home.

📦 The dreams you packed away while surviving.

💔 The relationship that never had an ending.

📆 The milestone that passed unnoticed.

This is disenfranchised grief—the kind the world doesn’t always see or understand. The heartbreaking kind.

But it matters. And it deserves space. I get it and I see you...Follow this link to read my blog if this resonates. ✨
https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/2025/07/09/the-grief-no-one-talks-about-when-losses-have-no-name/ 📖.

04/07/2025

🌪️When it feels like the universe is having a laugh! 🙄

This week tested me in ways that felt almost personal:
🌪️Four days without a fridge→ Watching groceries spoil, balancing gratitude (we can replace it) with frustration (why does this have to happen now?).

🌪️A new client session→ Hauling chairs across the building when the AC failed, hoping the makeshift space still felt safe.

🌪️Parenting in a heatwave ☀️→ The universe, apparently: “Let’s see how she handles no ice cream.” (Spoiler: Not well.)

Why I’m sharing:
1️⃣ To name the irrational but real feeling—that life is conspiring against you. (It’s not. But wow, does it feel that way sometimes.)
2️⃣ To honor the invisible work—of moving furniture and your own emotions to show up for others.
3️⃣ To normalize the messiness—of holding gratitude and grief, resilience and exhaustion, all at once.

If you’ve ever had a week where everything seemed to go wrong—even if ‘logically’ it shouldn’t feel so heavy—you’re not alone. Drop a 🌪️ below if you’ve ever side-eyed the universe and muttered, ‘Really?!’ 🤬

24/06/2025

✨ There’s a kind of remembering that happens when we stop — not just mentally, but physically.

✨ A soft return to the body. A reconnection.🙏🏽

Last night I went to a sound bath with a dear friend (who’s also a therapist). We both needed some time to reconnect — to just to be.

An hour of stillness and resonance.

There’s something powerful about slowing down alongside someone who understands what it means to hold space — and also when to simply rest in it.

At times, I felt like my subconscious was gently dancing — 🩰
not quite asleep, not quite awake. 🌓

It reminded me how easy it is to live in our heads,
and how quietly powerful it can be to come back to the body.
To simply pause — and notice what’s there.

In therapy too, I often witness how much can shift
when we find space to slow down and reconnect.
Sometimes, that’s where things begin to move.

11/06/2025

🌿 New blog post
That pressure to “get it right”...

To make the perfect decision, be the perfect parent, partner, or person.
It can feel overwhelming.
But what if you didn’t have to get it right to be enough?

✨ In this post, I explore how that pressure can quietly shape our choices, drain our energy, and leave us stuck in self-doubt — and how therapy can offer a gentler way through.

🖋️ Read the full post here: https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/2025/06/11/the-pressure-to-get-it-right-and-what-happens-when-we-dont/
📖 ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk

16/05/2025

🍃 Feeling disconnected or in the middle of a life shift? 🌱

✨For Mental Health Week, I’ve written about how finding (or building) community can steady us—especially during big changes like parenthood, identity shifts, or feeling like you’re on the outside looking in.

📖 Read the full blog here: https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/2025/05/16/finding-your-people-how-community-support-transforms-mental-health-during-lifes-transitions/

🫶🏽 I’d love to hear—where have you found unexpected support?

Last month, I wrote about feeling like an outsider—that ache of wondering whether your struggles or questions really belong anywhere.

23/04/2025

'Belonging shouldn’t require disappearance'. ✨💫

My first blog is live—a personal and professional reflection on feeling like an outsider, the hidden shame of loneliness, and how therapy can help rewrite these stories.

If you’ve ever felt out of place (at work, in relationships, or in your own skin), this is for you.

👉 Read it here: https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/?post_type=post]https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/?post_type=post

"

19/04/2025

A truly transformative and empowering journey! 🤓

When embarking on the journey of a new course there's often a mix of excitement and apprehension as you dive into new material and concepts.

As you progress, the initial hurdles give way to moments of clarity and understanding, each breakthrough building your confidence and knowledge.

The camaraderie and support from fellow students and instructors add depth to the experience, creating a vibrant learning community.

Here's how some of our students described their journey!

https://www.caracounsellingtraining.co.uk/

28/03/2025

To all mamas..those who are battling through infertility, parenting through overwhelm and to the mamas that mother, in ways seen and unseen.

Four years ago, I posted these words as a new mum after my own long journey. Today, I'm thinking of the many faces of motherhood, and how few of them fit into tidy boxes.

What I've learned:

✨Infertility leaves scars, even when you finally hold your child.

✨Motherhood is relentless, whether you battled to get here, or not.

✨ Societal expectations make it HARDER.

✨We are always too hard on ourselves, feeling we are "not enough".

✨We are good enough!

💫 How I can help:

🌻 If you are in the depths of fertility struggles, I offer a space where your grief doesn't need to be fixed- just held.

🌻 If you are navigating motherhood's invisible load (guilt, identity, rage), We'll map a path through the chaos.

🌻If you are anywhere in between, we'll honour your space, not where others think you "should be".

DM me, or have a look at my website for more info about me and how I work. https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/

26/03/2025

Feeling Stuck & Overwhelmed?

Ever feel like you should have it all figured out by now—but you don’t? Maybe life looks fine from the outside, but inside, you’re uncertain, lost, or struggling to move forward.

When we feel stuck, our minds often go into overdrive, searching for answers. The more we overthink, the harder it becomes to make sense of things—anxiety sets in, thoughts spiral, and decisions feel impossible. Even small things can feel too much.

Counselling offers a supportive space where you don’t have to keep it all together. A place where you can talk freely, untangle your thoughts, and start to see things more clearly—so you can take steps that feel right for you.

If this resonates, I’m here to help. You can find more details on my website:

https://ivadragostinovacounselling.co.uk/ or feel free to reach out directly! ✨

23/03/2025

Outreach Team.

09/03/2025

A new look, a completely new perspective! First time wearing glasses, and it’s definitely an adjustment. Funny how something so small can make such a big difference. Change isn’t always easy, but sometimes it helps us see things more clearly—literally and figuratively!