Hell Yeah Self-Care; a zine by Dr Meg-John Barker

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare”-Audre Lorde I am a big fan of the work of Dr Meg-John Barker. One of the things that they do really well, that I love, is taking abstract or difficult to understand academic concepts on philosophy, psychology and …

Anxiety; sometimes it’s hard be to be a human (and how counselling can help).

“You may come to counselling believing that something is wrong with you when you are experiencing anxiety. However anxiety is as much a social issue as a personal one. We live in a world full of pressures and obligations. So if you come to therapy with high anxiety, the first step is to help you …

Mental health in Northern Ireland; thinking about the context of our lives.

My aim in counselling is to understand my client as fully as I can. Understanding goes hand in hand with empathy. The better I can understand a clients life, experience and perspectives, the better I can imagine what life might be like for them. For me, part of that work is understanding the context in …

Languishing…maybe one of the most relatable moods of this last year?

“The absence of wellbeing..languishing is the vast, meh-coloured desert between flourishing and depression, a general condition of non-thriving” You know you are languishing if you experience burnout, you feel numb, it’s hard to focus and your mojo has disappeared. And most important, it is a rational reaction to a very irrational year. What to do …

On Connection

“We are empathic beings who feel for each other. Our very success as a species is rooted in our ability to be aware of each other’s needs, to notice each other’s pain and to experience deeply felt physiological and emotional empathy.”― Kae Tempest, On Connection I recently read the beautiful book “On Connection” by poet, performer, …

The New Hotness

I have just passed a 2nd birthday in Lockdown. Looking back at the first couple of posts written at the beginning of this whole thing last year, I certainly did not anticipate that we would still be in some variety of lockdown a year on. But here we are, with things hopefully due to change …

A counsellor in lockdown.

We are now over two months into lockdown. Throughout this time I have continued working with clients (through the agency I work for as a co-cultural counsellor), moving my practice to video or phone sessions, which are working well. My work with clients during this time has in many ways mirrored my own thinking and …

“That discomfort you’re feel is grief” coronavirus, anxiety and a changing world .

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought up intense, confusing and uncomfortable feelings for all of us. This calm and thoughtful article from the Harvard Business school features David Kessler who is a leading expert on grief. I have found it useful when working with clients through this time. Kessler talks us through the stages of …