The Walden Clinic: Psychology & Wellbeing Services

30/08/2026

Loss can be one of the most challenging human experiences an individual can face. Today is National Grief Awareness Day, which aims to raise awareness for the experience of grief, which can encompass a complex range of emotions.

Grief can resurface years after a loss, in moments you don't expect, and that's completely normal.

There's no right way to grieve, and no point at which you should have ‘moved on’.

If grief, old or recent, is something you're carrying, support is available. You don't have to process it alone.

27/08/2026

Grief doesn't always follow the shape we expect it to.

Our latest blog explores gentle ways to support yourself as you grieve and when it might be helpful to reach out for support.

Read the full blog here:

www.waldenclinic.co.uk/2026/08/26/grief-doesnt-follow-a-timeline

21/08/2026

CBT or EMDR, which is right for you?

CBT may be a good fit if you want to understand and change unhelpful thought patterns, build practical coping strategies, or work through anxiety, depression or stress in a structured way.

EMDR may be a good fit if you want to process a specific distressing memory or experience, address trauma that feels stuck, or reduce the emotional charge of difficult memories.

Many clients benefit from a blend of both. Your therapist will help you find the right approach for what you're bringing.

Free initial consultation: www.waldenclinic.co.uk

19/08/2026

Could not have written this better. Thank you for such an insightful, compassionate response.

Channel 4: The Great ADHD Myth?

To everyone with ADHD:

I see you. I hear you.
Your humanity is not up for debate.

Most people who know me know that I speak up for those who do not feel able to speak up for themselves. Sometimes that puts me in the firing line, but my sensitivity to injustice has never allowed me to stay silent when people are misunderstood, dismissed or dehumanised.

I did not watch last night’s Channel 4 documentary, The Great ADHD Myth?, presented by Dr Max Pemberton. I was moving house, leaving behind friends and the life I have known for 21 years, and beginning a new chapter in Scotland. If I am honest, I simply did not have the emotional bandwidth for it.

Especially because I have already been supporting autistic clients with the pain caused by recent media discussions suggesting autism has become “too broad”. For people who have spent years trying to understand themselves, and often even longer trying to be believed, these conversations are not abstract. They cut deeply.

From the response to last night’s programme, many people with ADHD appear to be experiencing something similar: anger, hurt, despondency and the familiar exhaustion of having to justify their experiences all over again.

For many, an ADHD diagnosis is not about seeking a label, making excuses, following a trend or claiming benefits. It offers a way to understand years of overwhelm, difficulties with organisation and emotional regulation, and the exhausting effort of meeting expectations that never seemed to fit.

It can explain why someone has spent their life being described as lazy, careless, disorganised, too sensitive or simply not trying hard enough. It can replace shame with understanding and relentless self-criticism with compassion.

Some people need financial support because their difficulties significantly affect their ability to work or manage daily life, and there should be no shame in that. But reducing neurodivergence to a presumed desire to claim benefits dismisses the very real challenges people face.

Of course we should discuss assessment quality, medication, environmental pressures and whether education and employment systems adequately support different ways of thinking. We should also consider how trauma, stress, sleep and hormones influence attention, emotional regulation and wellbeing.

But exploring complexity should lead to greater curiosity, not greater dismissal.

I also want to acknowledge Dr Helen Wall who has been doing an amazing job across her social media last night and this morning, speaking up and supporting our neurodivergent community. Voices like hers matter enormously when so many people are feeling hurt, invalidated and alone.

We can question systems without questioning people’s experiences. We can discuss treatment without shaming those who benefit from it. And we can debate diagnostic practice without stripping people of their dignity.

To everyone with ADHD feeling angry, hurt or despondent:

I see you. I hear you. Your humanity is not up for debate.

18/08/2026

Are you a qualified therapist looking for a professional, welcoming space to see your clients?

We have therapy rooms available to rent at The Walden Clinic, a well- established, fully equipped practice with a calm, professional environment that puts clients at ease from the moment they arrive.

Included is a private, comfortable therapy room, Wi-Fi, kitchen access and waiting room, within a central location with excellent transport links. We operate on a flexible ad-hoc or block booking basis, with our rates tiered to allow more equitable access for all types of clinicians.

Whether you're newly qualified or growing an established private practice, we'd love to hear from you.

14/08/2026

⚠️ Trigger warning: this post contains references to su***de and men's mental health.

In the UK, men are three times more likely to die by su***de than women. The expectation that men should carry difficulty in silence is not a sign of strength. It is one of the most harmful and persistent myths in our culture. And it costs lives.

From childhood, many men receive consistent, often unspoken messages: be strong, don't show weakness, fix the problem, move on.

For fathers specifically - your mental health is not separate from your role as a dad. Research consistently shows that a father's emotional wellbeing has a direct and measurable impact on a child's development - their emotional regulation, their attachment security, and their own relationship with feelings as they grow.

When a father seeks support and addresses his own mental health, he isn't only helping himself. He is doing something for his children that they will carry for the rest of their lives.

The most powerful thing you can model for your child is this: that asking for help is brave, not weak.

If you're a man or a father who has been quietly carrying something - we're here. Confidential, non-judgmental, and experienced in working with men.

We've also written a full blog on men's mental health - honest, research-based, and written with you in mind.

www.waldenclinic.co.uk/2026/06/16/mens-mental-health-month-why-its-time-to-start-the-conversation

12/08/2026

The harshest critic in your life often doesn't live outside of you. It lives inside your own mind.

We make a mistake and hear 'you're not good enough.' A friend doesn't reply and we think 'they must be angry.' We finish something and immediately the voice says 'it wasn't good enough.'

These thoughts don't feel like thoughts. They feel like facts. But they're not.

Psychologists call these cognitive distortions - learned patterns so automatic we stop noticing them:

- Catastrophising - assuming the worst

- Mind-reading - assuming what others think

- Black and white thinking - success or failure, nothing between

- Personalisation - blaming yourself for things outside your control

These patterns aren't fixed. They can change. And that's exactly what we help with.

10/08/2026

There's a persistent myth that therapy is only for people who are really struggling. That you need to have hit rock bottom before you qualify for support.

Therapy is for:

- The person exhausted on the inside but fine on the outside

- The person who can't explain why things feel flat

- The person navigating a difficult life transition

- The person who just wants to understand themselves better

You don't need a referral. You don't need a diagnosis. You just need to reach out.

Free initial consultation - www.waldenclinic.co.uk

06/08/2026

Talking therapy isn't just "having a chat." It draws on evidence-based psychological interventions and theories to produce lasting change.

Below are some of the mechanisms by which change takes place. Through the process of neuroplasticity, measurable changes occur in how your brain processes thought and emotion.

It changes your brain - measurable changes in how you process thought and emotion

It gives you tools - skills you keep long after therapy ends
The relationship heals - feeling genuinely heard is not a side effect of therapy. It's the mechanism.

If you've been wondering whether therapy could help - it very
likely can.

Book a free consultation - www.waldenclinic.co.uk

31/07/2026

Reading this means everything to us.

"I have worked with Aileen for the past 6 months while going through a difficult period in my life and dealing with low mood and anxiety. While I had accessed therapy in the past, I had not been to a professional psychologist like Aileen, and I'm so pleased I made this decision to see her. She is incredibly friendly and down to earth, and instantly made me feel at ease from the beginning of our sessions. She is incredibly patient and understanding, and I felt very comfortable sharing my struggles with her. She took great effort in understanding my background and worked with me throughout the sessions in helping me to understand this, and the impact it has on my behaviours. I feel very confident that I now have the tools and knowledge to help manage challenges which I may face moving forward. I can't recommend Aileen enough, and wouldn't hesitate to seek her support again if needed."

The relationship between client and therapist is the single most powerful predictor of whether therapy works. More than technique. More than experience.

This is why finding the right fit matters. At The Walden Clinic we take care to match clients thoughtfully.

If you've been thinking about therapy but aren't sure where to begin - our free initial consultation is a no-pressure opportunity to ask questions and see how things feel.

Because how it feels matters.

Meet our team: www.waldenclinic.co.uk/about-us