Shoreline Counselling

04/05/2026

Another one of my heroes, Patti Smith - really appreciate her sentiments!

03/05/2026

Coming up this Friday - a conversation about living with change and loss in life. What helps us to adapt? Exploring what happens mentally, physically and emotionally during these times of change.

These workshops are free for all. Let me know if you are interested.

The Anglican Advocacy workshops are returning this year. Come and join the conversation to explore about the challenges that we all live with.

Bring a friend and come along to these workshops to be hosted over the next six months. Starting with Grief and Change and how to adapt to them.

05/03/2026

One of the lines from,
‘The Year of Magical Thinking’,
that’s always stayed with me is this:

“Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it.”

When I first read that,
I remember thinking,
‘Yes…that’s it!

We think we understand grief.
We’ve seen it.
We’ve stood beside others in it.
We’ve sent sympathy cards and gone to services.

But when it becomes ours,
when it’s the person who shared our bed,
our history,
our ordinary days,
we realize we had no map at all.

Because grief isn’t just sadness.

It’s disorientation.
It’s the strange logic of magical thinking.
It’s expecting to hear their key in the door.
It’s saving their voicemail.
It’s not wanting to give away their shoes.
(That was me!)

Joan Didion wrote about that invisible landscape so honestly,
the way the mind tries to bargain with reality,
the way the heart refuses to accept what the facts already know.

If you’ve ever thought...

“Why am I acting like this?”
“Why can’t I just accept it?”

You’re not crazy...you’re grieving.

Because none of us know this place...until we arrive in it.

-Gary

07/11/2025

Community Law education day. Protection orders and trespass notices information, process and conditions.

Come along and join the conversation on the 5th December at 1pm at the Timaru District Library Community Room. Please email, text, phone me for any details or registering to come. Looking forward to seeing you there.

22/11/2024

The Resilience Hub consists of an online resource site that contains articles, videos, links, an online shop and a physical hub offering personalised information, support, counselling services and library.

22/11/2024

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11/09/2024

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11/09/2024

A great selection of resources that are available for all. Mental Health Awareness week is coming up and it is all about the strength of community. What are you going to enjoy that strengthens the community that you are within?

Please click the link to complete this form.

14/08/2024

Did you know that we also host Community Law talks here in Timaru? Do you know of someone who has Employment concerns and questions? Someone who is asking about the legalities and responsibilities of Employment.

Register and come along and join in the conversation at St Mary's Timaru church hall on the 6th September at 1pm.

14/08/2024

Come along and join in the conversation exploring our self-defences. Are they unconscious or conscious? How can we adapt them to be beneficial rather than harmful.

Our next workshop is for the 23rd August at 1pm. Have you ever wondered why some people react in the way they do? Have you ever wondered about the Freudian examples of "Defence mechanisms"?

This workshop is going to look at some of the more common ways we react and self-protect. Sometimes our defences are helpful for our relationships sometimes they are harmful. Bring these into conversation offers a space where we can explore ways to change our strategies to create better relationships.

Please contact me if you have any questions or are intending on coming.