7 things I learned working with interpreters in the counselling room
7 things I learned working with interpreters in the counselling room
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Winter Solstice Reflection: When the Light Returns
Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night. In the UK, the exact moment is around 3.03pm GMT. From here, the light returns, slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, but it returns. I like that the solstice is both simple and profound. Simple, because it is astronomy. The Earth tilts, the sun
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Do counsellors really need a written contract?
When I trained as a counsellor in the early 2000s, the message felt simple. Talk through the contract, note it in your records, and you’re fine. Written contracts were not talked about. We explained boundaries verbally, maybe had some information on a leaflet or website, and that was considered good enough. Fast forward twenty years,
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Reading BACP’s new routes when you have lost senior status
If you have read my earlier post, ‘Losing my BACP Accreditation‘’, you will know that I lost my senior accreditation with BACP. In that piece I described what it was like to wake up one day and find that a title I had held for many years had gone. Nothing about my work in the
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Unconscious bias in the therapy room: a practical guide for counsellors
Unconscious bias isn’t a weakness. It’s the brain’s quick shortcut. In therapy, those shortcuts can quietly shape how we assess risk, set goals, listen, and end. This post discusses unconscious bias in the counselling room as well as suggesting some supervision questions to explore it to help protect the relationship and improve the counselling journey
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How counselling ethics keep your therapy safe
When you’re thinking about starting counselling, it’s natural to wonder: Can I trust this person? Will what I say stay private? What happens if something goes wrong? That’s where counselling ethics come in. They’re the quiet structure in the background that help therapy feel safe, respectful and transparent. In this post I’ll explain what I
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How I end a counselling session well
How I end a counselling session well (and why those last few minutes matter) For the first few years as a counsellor, I found ending a counselling session difficult. I recently saw the Abunchoftherapists vlog about going to a counsellor whose session ended with the phrase ‘let’s leave it there’. It reminded me why those
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‘I felt robbed’: Perimenopause, isolation and how counselling can help
Reading this BBC article on early perimenopause took me straight back. I felt I had been robbed of something I did not even know I could lose. I started perimenopause at 40. It was a dark time. I was told I was depressed, but it did not feel like depression. Something was wrong and I
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Feeling lonely at uni?
Feeling lonely at uni? You are not broken. What helps and how counselling can support you Reading the recent BBC piece on student loneliness made me pause and reflect on what I hear so often in the therapy room. Halls, lectures and busy campuses can still feel quiet on the inside. Loneliness at uni is
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Losing My BACP Senior Accreditation
When a Title Is Taken: Losing My BACP Senior Accreditation Today I lose my Senior Accredited status with BACP. I have been a counsellor for 25 years. I have run my own practice for 25 years. Writing this feels strange. I did not plan to share this. I worried people would argue about SCoPEd. But
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World Mental Health Day: mental health in humanitarian emergencies
World Mental Health Day: mental health in humanitarian emergencies Today is World Mental Health Day. This year’s global focus is mental health in humanitarian emergencies and access to support. I have seen first-hand the distress, trauma and grief that war and famine create in emergency disasters. Before I became a counsellor, I worked as a
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