Soni Cox Counsellor

22/07/2026

Waiting list now open for September start.

BACP-accredited counsellor, 20 years' experience. Online and phone sessions for stress, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues and life transitions. Trauma-informed, person-centred approach. Free intro call to get started.

15/05/2026

🌏 Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead
We've always loved this quote, and it feels especially true in the run-up to Give a Day. 💛
Because GAD has never been about big organisations with big budgets making big announcements. It's been about groups of workmates. A handful of friends. A few neighbours who got chatting about what their street needed. A family who decided to do something together.
🤝 Thoughtful — because they noticed something that needed doing.
🤝 Committed — because they actually showed up and did it.
🤝 Generous Citizens — because this is our city, and it belongs to all of us.
That's the whole recipe. And somehow, year after year, it's enough to change things.
Who's your small group? 👇


Submit your ideas: https://www.giveadaycarlisle.org/create-a-project

14/05/2026

Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. We’re shouting loudly that great mental health care isn't just clinical, it's human. It’s the kind voice at the end of the phone when you’re worried about rent and too unwell to work. It’s the adviser who listens actively, rather than waiting for their turn to speak. And it's you reminding friends and loved ones that these contact details can save lives. Please share 💙

14/05/2026

I hated therapy breaks. They pressed every trigger in me of abandonment, rejection and isolation. But learning to first notice and then tolerate this distress, to work with it in the sessions, ended up transformative.

To find out more, listen to my podcast episode #11 'Recovering from developmental trauma': https://www.carolynspring.com/podcasts/recovering-from-developmental-trauma/ where you can also find a full transcript.

Or search for 'Conversations with Carolyn Spring' on Audible, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

13/05/2026

Sometimes the bravest thing is just deciding you’re ready. 💛
If that’s where you are, I’d love to hear from you.
New spaces opening up soon — get in touch for a free intro call. 💛 [email protected]

09/05/2026

"We are born makers. We move what we're learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands."

Love this from the inimitable Brené Brown 💛

Isn't this exactly what Give a Day is? It's the moving — from a thought to a feeling to an actual thing done in our city.

From "someone should do something about that" to picking up the paintbrush, the spade, the broom, the plants.

Carlisle has no shortage of heads full of ideas or hearts that care. What GAD asks is the third bit: what will our hands do?
Whatever's in yours — there's a maker in there. 🤲

Submit your idea at: https://www.giveadaycarlisle.org/create-a-project

14/04/2026

Something remarkable happens when you step outside. Your pace slows. Your thoughts untangle. And suddenly, the thing you've been wrestling with for weeks starts to make sense.

There's good science behind this yet most of us already know it in our bones, don’t we?

Walking in nature lowers cortisol, lifts mood, and sharpens creative thinking in ways that sitting at a desk simply can't. But it's more than just health. It's about perspective.

When you're outside - really outside, not just passing through - your nervous system settles. The mental noise quiets. You stop reacting and start thinking.

That's when real clarity arrives.

The best conversations I've ever had - with clients, with myself - have happened while walking, or running (slow jog that is.

There's something about moving forward, literally, that helps us move forward in our thinking too. I've watched people untangle months of indecision in a single afternoon on a footpath. I've seen someone finally say out loud the thing they'd been afraid to admit, somewhere between a stile and a field gate. And my own inspirations and ideas emerge with clarity and energy outside.

Outside we think out loud more easily. We’re braver. And we leave with something real - a felt sense of what we actually want to do.

Get in touch if this speaks to you. My outdoor coaching days are marvellous ways to inspire and get clarity, and our monthly Gather - which is *this Friday*, a week early this month - is free and a great way to connect with other ‘outside thinkers’.

Ways we can work together:

Outdoor coaching strategy days - NW England
A full, in person, day outside to step back, get clear, and leave with a plan you'll actually use. https://kateb.co.uk/outdoors-1day

Three-month online mastermind (Start 1 May)
A small group of 6–8 people ready to step up, get out of their own way, and make real progress. Three months of focused momentum and support to move your forward, together. https://kateb.co.uk/3mm

Gather
Monthly walks near Penrith in the Lake District https://kateb.co.uk/gather

1:1 coaching — online and in person
https://kateb.co.uk/121

Not sure which? Book a no-pressure project chat and we'll work it out.

08/04/2026

April is PMDD Awareness Month. PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that can have a serious impact on your mental health during the week or two before your period.

It causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms including:

• Mood swings
• Feeling upset or tearful.
• Lack of energy
• Less interest in activities you normally enjoy
• Feeling hopeless
• Feeling angry or irritable
• Coming into conflict with people around you
• Feeling anxious, tense or on edge
• Feeling overwhelmed or out of control
• Difficulty concentrating
• Suicidal thoughts

Our thoughts are with all of you experiencing PMDD 💙

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it's a mental health emergency and you should call 999 or go to the nearest A&E immediately.

You can find out more info about PMDD on our website.