Psychotherapy & Workshops. Specializing in seggsuality, addiction & relationships. By appointment.🌳
(1)
08/01/2026
Ending the week with this beautiful depiction of “how you see yourself” versus “how you really are”. 🥰
Learn to calm your inner critic, they can be too harsh at times and may not allow you to see what other people see. Also, remember that if you are not able to see the good in you, no matter how many times someone tells you how awesome you are, you may not believe it. So, believe in yourself first, so that you are able to see yourself the way others see you, and much more.
Picture Credit: Urban installation no 132 in Milano by Andrea Olivari.
💜💜💜
07/01/2026
It’s the start of the year and if you managed to take a break over the holidays you may be feeling rested and rearing to go. 🥳 And, if you worked through the holidays you may start to feel a little burnt out by February. 😅
Take note of how your body and mind feels and please take a break before you get to the point that you are burning a candle 🕯️ from both ends. When I think of burn out, this is how I see it. Burn out is not an excuse, it is your body’s way of crying out for help and signaling you to rest. So if any of the signs resonate at some point, please don’t ignore them and take a break. Your body is the only home you live in every day, so invest in it like your life depends on it, because it does.
Have a wonderful day and Merry Christmas 🎄 to all those who will be celebrating Orthodox Christmas today! 🎉
💚💚💚
06/01/2026
If we are used to chaotic relational dynamics, avoiding accountability, having to prove our love or worthiness or inconsistencies in how we are loved and cared for; we may find that a healthy partner will feel distant, critical and even mildly uncomfortable.
Here are some unpopular behaviors of a healthy partner that may feel triggering depending on what kind of connections we have had in the past. And if you find this list irritating or uncomfortable you may want to check in with yourself as healthy partners will love you through your imperfections and they will also have boundaries and expectations around someone being safe, emotionally mature, and willing to put in efforts towards creating a healthy relationship.
💛💛💛
05/01/2026
It’s another gorgeous Monday in sunny Nairobi and today I want to share a post about how to support others with a little more kindness and compassion.
Although we may mean well, telling a friend or a family member to “stay strong” or “this is what God intended to happen” or even “everything happens for a reason” can sometimes not be the best way to offer support, even though you may believe it’s true. Here are statements that can better help a person feel comforted in a more compassionate way, so try these and see how they can make a difference.
Remember something can be true and still hurt to hear, so be mindful that sometimes people do not need unsolicited advice, they just need time to sit with what they are feeling, whatever that may be. How and when you use words matter, every time. Be mindful.
Have an amazing start to the week.
💙💙💙
31/12/2025
It’s the last day of 2025, and as we spend the day preparing to usher in the New Year please remember to finish the year celebrating your growth, instead of what didn't happen. Finish the year with softness too. 🫶
If you have fur babies please know that fireworks 🧨 may scare them, so keep them in an enclosed space so that they are comfortable and safe, especially if you will be out. And if you are going out, have an amazing time and please don’t drink and drive, keep our roads safe by being responsible. And whatever else you do, have an amazing time and enjoy the last day of 2025.
🧡🧡🧡
30/12/2025
Goal setting is a good way of planning for a different year based on what you experienced the previous year. I love these because they involve prioritizing your wellbeing, which means that any activity you do, you can stop and ask yourself if you are aligned with that particular wellbeing goal.
Limiting my exposure to negativity (news, social media, people) and prioritizing rest before burn out (not after), are my top priorities for 2026.
What about you?
Do any of these resonate?
💛💛💛
29/12/2025
It’s the last Magic Monday of 2025 and after Christmas you may experience post-holiday celebration blues. This is normal and it can feel like an anti-climax to a very busy period full of people or if you were on your own, the idea that this quiet time is over, can make you feel a little low.
Here are a few things you can engage in today, as we prepare to end the year in 3 days time.
What do you have planned for NYE?
🩵🩵🩵
24/12/2025
May this Christmas wrap you in comfort, joy, peace and with all the people you love most, whether physically present, away or in spirit. 🪽
And to all who are working through the Holidays keeping things running, you are appreciated and I am sending love to you and yours too.
We remain open this Holiday season.
❤️🎄🫶
23/12/2025
We are fast approaching the end of 2025 and I’m sending out so much love to everyone who feels overwhelmed, with everything that’s going on in life, work and love. Be gentle with yourself and finish the year with softness and not necessarily strength. It is also ok to sit still or accept that further progress is not currently possible. And if you are doubting yourself or your capabilities, remember where you came from and how hard you have worked to achieve everything you have right now and all that you have been working towards. You got this!
💛💛💛
22/12/2025
Loving this post on this Magic Monday that talks about emotional compatibility; which goes beyond being physically attracted to someone or getting along well because you enjoy doing the same things.
Emotional compatibility means partners understand, accept, and support each other's feelings, needs, and communication styles, creating a safe space to be vulnerable, share emotions, and feel truly seen and valued, which builds deep trust and intimacy beyond just shared interests or attraction.
It's about being on the same wavelength emotionally, where you feel comfortable expressing your true self and know your partner will respond with care, even if you don't always agree.
If you are dating, or looking to start dating again, what has your experience been in this space? Is this post relatable?
💙💙💙
18/12/2025
With the Holidays fast approaching it’s important to have some personal boundaries and some relationship ones too (if you are partnered). Here is a lovely post that can help you do this for yourself and if you are partnered you can agree on some relationship boundaries together.
Family is everything. But the requirement isn't blood, it's love. It's respect, warmth, safety and support. Family is whoever feels like home to your nervous system. (VexKingWrites)
Have a lovely day and for anyone traveling to visit family for the Holidays, travel safe and take care.
💜💜💜
17/12/2025
Love this depiction of what therapy is versus what people think it is.
Talking, venting to and getting advice from friends only works for a certain amount of time and it’s also sometimes not objective or scientific based. Also, using your friends as “free therapists” is not kind, can get heavy for them and may not allow you to elevate in the same way you could by doing the work yourself, alongside a professional. Give it a try, it can change your life.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Almond Tree Wellness Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
About Cathy Holden and the Almond Tree Wellness Center, Kenya
Before I went to University; I started out not knowing what my life’s purpose would be, but knew it had to do with helping people be their very best version of themselves. I was fortunate enough to study in the United Kingdom and pursued two degrees; back to back; a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Occupational and Organizational Psychology. I then ended up working in Human Resources in the UK and then moved back to Kenya after 15 years. I carried on working in Human Resources and by 2018 (after 13 years in HR practice) I felt that I needed a change so that I can impact more people by helping them directly. I then took on a new post graduate degree to be a certified S*x Therapist (Therapy Certification Association, based in Miami, Florida).
S*x is in integral part of any relationship and human s*xuality is vast; Do we always know what to do with our s*xuality? Do we know enough about it? These are all questions I kept asking myself for many years, which led to me opening a new business in 2019 - The Almond Tree Wellness Center based in Nairobi, with my office in Doctor’s Park, on 3rd Parklands Avenue, about 100 meters from Aga Khan Hospital.
S*x Therapy is not a new field but while I was growing up, s*x was not something that people talked about freely and I have made it my purpose to help people understand what s*x therapy is about, what a s*x therapist does (and does not do) and how it can help you and/or your partner. There is much more to say on this type of therapy and I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and expertise with all of you.
I am a member of the Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association and the British Psychological Society. I provide a range of counselling and s*x therapy services and looking forward to meeting and helping as many people as possible.
