Jo Rutter Counselling Services

15/08/2026

💕

feeling discomfort is always going to be a part of life, so learning how to handle it instead of avoid it is key 🌱

14/08/2026

So true !

It’s so very human to want to be liked💜 We all want to feel accepted, understood and valued, and sometimes we can find ourselves bending, adapting or even holding back parts of who we are in the hope of keeping the peace or being accepted.

The gentle challenge is learning that we don’t have to be liked by everyone to be worthy, and that someone’s dislike of us doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve done something wrong 🫶Sometimes we can be kind, loving and authentic, and still not be everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s okay. We can care about what others think without allowing it to decide who we are✨

If you’re finding yourself caught in the cycle of people-pleasing or worrying too much about what others think, counselling can offer a safe space to explore where that comes from and what you need.🌱

Please get in contact with me to book your introductory appointment.

📷 .com

06/08/2026

Great news 👏 💜 The Government’s plans to expand community mental health services across England provide a vital opportunity to improve access to earlier, closer-to-home care.

And the counselling and psychotherapy workforce has an important role to play in delivering these plans.

The challenge is not a lack of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists – it’s ensuring sustainable funding and commissioning arrangements are in place to make the most of the workforce already available.

By working together and ensuring the right expertise is in place, these new services can help more people access timely, effective support in their communities.

We'll be reaching out to the Department for Health and Social Care and local health leaders to offer our support and advice to ensure the workforce is in place to deliver this much needed commitment.

Read our full response to today's announcement through the link in the comments 👇

31/07/2026

Tag whoever you like! 💚

29/07/2026

A gentle word can shift the day
When hearts are feeling low
It’s proof that hope can start again
With just a small hello

A smile can bloom where storms have been
It costs so little, too
It ripples out through stranger’s hearts
And changes grey to blue

We hurry past each other’s pain -
Forget the simplest graces
But kindness lingers patiently
In calm and friendly faces

It isn’t grand or loud or fierce
It needs not even words
Just gentle nods and listening ears
To tell us we are heard

‘Cause hands outstretched, a door held wide
Can start a brighter chain
Then every spark of kindness
Becomes sunshine through the rain

So let us tend this gentle spark
Though times may rush or race
For kindness grows in quiet acts
And lights the darkest place

*****

Becky Hemsley 2025
Gorgeous artwork by Cherith Kavanagh Musta

This poem is in my newest collection, If The Stars Could Speak: https://amzn.to/45i36GB
(affiliate link)

26/07/2026

🧡

Your Beautiful Life by Alexa

24/07/2026

💗The first Menopause session was an opportunity to come together and share experiences about this transitioning period.

☕We met casually and shared our concerns over a cuppa and a biccie. Many useful things were shared in a supportive, respectful environment.

🍎The Menopause can be a confusing, emotional and physically draining period for those who experience it. These sessions are hoping to increase our understanding and make the transition more comfortable.

📆The next session will take place on 7th September at the WomenCentre office in Halifax.

17/07/2026

💜

One time I met a woman
With a basket on her arm
A basket filled with patches
And with fabric, thread and yarn

I wondered why she had it all
And so I walked a while
Watching as she greeted
Other people with a smile

I saw her greet a woman
Hanging on by just a thread
And a girl who was unravelling
With each and every step

I watched her as she stitched together
Parts all torn and frayed
And as she tied their loose ends
With the fabric she had made

And then I watched a man
Who told her that he couldn’t cope
He spoke about the heartache
That had snatched away his hope

She listened to him calmly
As she measured out her thread
And then she gently held his arm
And carefully she said

“I’ll hold you for a moment
And I’ll treat your heart with care
And it will feel different,
But perhaps less empty there”

But as I stood and watched her
As she patched his broken heart
I noticed that her dress
Was quietly coming apart

I realised that the hat she wore
Had six or seven holes
And the boots she wore upon her feet
Had barely any soles

The tights she wore beneath her dress
Were laddered and threadbare
And the jacket round her shoulders
Was in need of great repair

And now I saw it clearly:
That she spent her every day
Fixing other people
Making sure they were okay

Patching up and sewing
So that they could feel stronger
When they just couldn’t keep themselves
Together any longer

But she too needed love and care
And she too needed help
Yet she was spending all her time
On everybody else

On making sure that they were fine
To chase their hopes and dreams
Whilst she slowly, without knowing
Came apart
right
at
the
s e a m s

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024
Amazing artwork by Faith Humphrey Hill (who combines knitting and artwork to create beautiful pieces!)

This poem is in my book, Words to Remember: https://amzn.to/4yc9bBP
(affiliate link)

17/07/2026

Last working Friday until September. Schools out for summer! ☀️🕶️

15/07/2026

💜