NMG Therapies

31/08/2026

“I really wish she was here for this.”

I hadn’t consciously been thinking that.

In fact, when grief for my friend surfaced recently, it surprised me.

She died unexpectedly almost 14 years ago.

We had our boys within months of each other. We struggled through those early days of motherhood together, when neither of us found it quite as easy as we’d imagined it would be.

And now my son is finishing one chapter and beginning another.

And she’s not here for this bit.

Neither is my mum.

They would both have loved to see what comes next for my boys.

And perhaps that’s one of the things about grief that we don’t always talk about.

Sometimes grief appears in the middle of something good.

A result.

A graduation.

A wedding.

A baby.

A birthday.

A new job.

A new home.

A new chapter.

We can be genuinely happy.

And still feel the ache of the person who isn’t here to share it with us.

I’ve started thinking about grief a little like a backpack.

Every loss, every goodbye, every ending gets added.

And we carry on.

We go to work.
We look after the children.
We make plans.
We laugh.
We celebrate.
We keep living.

So we don’t always notice how much we’re carrying.

Until something happens and suddenly the backpack feels very heavy.

And sometimes that happens years after a loss.

That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going backwards.

It can simply mean that life has moved forwards.

We’ve arrived somewhere new, and the person we thought would be standing there with us isn’t.

I think this is one of the reasons grief can be so complicated.

It isn’t something we simply “get over”.

And there isn’t a timetable.

Sometimes we need to revisit a loss because something in our life has changed.

Sometimes we need somewhere safe to talk about the person we’ve lost.

Sometimes we need permission to acknowledge that a part of us still misses them.

And sometimes we need support with the things grief has left behind.

I’ve had a particular connection with grief throughout my professional life.

Before becoming a therapist, I worked for four years at our local hospice, supporting people who were terminally ill, their carers and bereaved relatives.

That experience taught me that grief isn’t something that can be neatly packaged into stages or timelines.

It is deeply personal.

And it can change throughout our lives.

You don’t have to stop loving someone in order to learn how to live with their absence.

If you’re carrying a loss that still feels heavy, whether it happened recently or many years ago, you don’t have to carry it alone.

Grief is one of the areas I specialise in within my work at NMG Therapies, and I offer a safe, compassionate space to explore whatever your grief looks like for you.

Because sometimes what we need isn’t to put the grief down.

We simply need somewhere safe to put it for a while. 💛

If you’d like to find out more about working with me, you can send me a message.

Niamh x

https://nmgtherapies.co.uk/
[email protected]

26/08/2026

When someone you never knew becomes someone you grieve. 🤍

This morning, I’m feeling tearful.

And honestly, a little bereft.

Dolly Parton has died.

And I’m noticing that I don’t need to do anything with that feeling.

I don’t need to explain it away because I never knew her personally.

I don’t need to make it smaller because she wasn’t a member of my family.

I don’t need to tell myself that there are other losses that are somehow more deserving of my tears.

I can simply let myself feel it.

Because grief isn’t only about the people we have known personally.

Sometimes we grieve someone whose music has accompanied us through our lives.

Someone whose voice has been there through moments of joy, sadness, growing up, falling in love, heartbreak, celebration and everything in between.

Someone who somehow became part of the soundtrack of our lives.

Someone we never met, but who still touched something deeply within us.

Dolly was one of those people for me.

I loved her bubbliness.

Her sassiness.

Her warmth.

Her humour.

Her sparkle.

I loved that she was unapologetically herself.

That she used her voice.

That she stood up for what mattered to her.

That she could be strong without losing her softness.

And that she seemed to have this extraordinary ability to make people feel welcomed, accepted and held.

There is something quite extraordinary happening right now as people share their memories, photographs, songs, interviews and stories about Dolly.

People are grieving together.

And I’m discovering people around me who loved Dolly too — people I didn’t even realise were fellow Dolly fans.

There is something beautiful about that.

Because grief can connect us.

It can open conversations.

It can bring memories to the surface.

It can remind us of what — and who — has mattered to us.

And perhaps this is a gentle reminder too:

You are allowed to grieve someone who was never technically yours to grieve.

If you are finding yourself unexpectedly tearful today, perhaps you don’t need to question it.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, let yourself remember.

If you want to listen to the songs, listen.

If you want to read the tributes, read them.

If you find yourself watching interviews you’ve never seen before and feeling moved by them, let yourself be moved.

And if you need to step away from it all for a while, that’s okay too.

There is no right way to grieve.

And there is no right amount of grief for someone you never personally knew.

If someone mattered to you, their absence can matter too.

And today, I want to gently invite you to take care of yourself in whatever grief is moving through you.

Slow down.

Pause.

Breathe.

Drink something.

Eat something nourishing.

Step outside.

Put your hand on your heart.

Let the tears come.

Rest if you need to.

Talk to someone if you want to.

Give yourself permission not to be quite as productive today.

You don’t have to push the feelings down.

And you don’t have to push yourself through them either.

You can make some space for them.

Dolly herself spoke openly in the days before her death about how, while caring for her husband Carl, she had neglected her own health and was still healing from his loss.

There is something very human in that.

Sometimes, when we love deeply, we pour everything we have into someone else.

And sometimes grief asks us to turn some of that tenderness back towards ourselves.

So perhaps today, rather than asking yourself:

“How do I get through this?”

you could ask:

“What do I need today?”

Maybe it’s a quiet morning.

Maybe it’s music.

Maybe it’s company.

Maybe it’s a cry.

Maybe it’s laughter.

Maybe it’s remembering.

Maybe it’s doing absolutely nothing for a little while.

Whatever it is, let it be enough.

Dolly once sang about the light of a clear blue morning.

But before the light comes, there is the dark night.

And perhaps we don’t need to rush ourselves towards the morning.

Perhaps we can simply acknowledge that, for some of us, today is a little darker because someone who brought so much light into our lives is no longer here.

So today I’m going to let myself be sad.

I’m going to let myself miss someone who I never met.

I’m going to let the music play.

And I’m going to be gentle with myself.

Because perhaps that is one of the gifts grief offers us:

the invitation to slow down enough to notice what mattered.

No fixing.
No rushing.
No pushing through.
Just making a little more room for love, memory and whatever is here.

And if you need permission to do the same today…

you have it. 🤍

🎵 And if you feel like listening to Dolly today, I’m listening to a song of hers I never heard before “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” where Dolly along with other fabulous female artists sings about how after the longest night, the morning comes.

https://youtu.be/McaD2PG8jOE?si=Uja0fnRQE4uFhbnI

“Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire. Also featuring David Foster on piano and Christ Church Choir on background vocals.

“Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton featuring Lainey Wi...

24/08/2026

What if you stopped trying to decide how you're supposed to feel?

Perhaps you're excited about what comes next...

but sad about what you're leaving behind.

Perhaps you're relieved that the children are going back to school...

and already missing the slower mornings.

Perhaps you're desperate for a change...

and terrified now that it's actually happening.

Perhaps you're incredibly grateful for your life...

and still finding parts of it really hard.

What if you didn't have to choose?

We can be happy and sad.

Grateful and overwhelmed.

Excited and anxious.

Relieved and guilty.

Ready and completely unprepared.

Sometimes we can even want something very much and still struggle when it arrives.

And yet we often tell ourselves that one feeling makes the other wrong.

“I should be enjoying this.”

“I have nothing to complain about.”

“Other people have it worse.”

“Why am I feeling like this when this is what I wanted?”

But emotions aren't a maths equation.

You don't have to cancel one out because another one is there.

Two things can be true.

You can love your children and need some time away from them.

You can be proud of them and grieve the version of life that's changing.

You can be excited about a new chapter and mourn the one that's ending.

You can know that something is right for you and still feel frightened.

And sometimes, when we give ourselves permission to feel what is actually there, we discover that the feeling isn't the problem.

Our judgement of the feeling is.

This is something I see often in therapy.

People don't necessarily come because they don't know what they're feeling.

They come because they don't understand why they're feeling it.

Or because they believe they shouldn't be.

Or because they've become very good at pushing difficult feelings aside and carrying on.

But what we push away doesn't necessarily disappear.

Sometimes it simply waits for a quieter moment to be heard.

Therapy can give you somewhere to slow down enough to listen.

Not to judge yourself.

Not to tell yourself you should feel differently.

But to become curious about what's happening underneath it all.

So as August comes to an end and another chapter begins, perhaps you don't need to decide whether this has been a wonderful summer or a difficult one.

Maybe it has been both.

And maybe you are allowed to be both too. 💛

If you're finding yourself somewhere between “I'm fine” and “actually, I'm really not”, that's something we can explore together.

I offer online therapy including counselling, hypnotherapy, EFT and other therapeutic approaches.

You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out.

Niamh x

17/08/2026

A little reminder for parents as GCSE results day approaches…💛

What if we paused long enough to hear the real answer?

With GCSE results coming this week, there can be so much focus on the young person waiting.

The grades.
The college place.
The next step.
The excitement.
The nerves.

And of course, they may be feeling anxious.

But sometimes what we see on the surface isn't the whole story.

A young person might be irritable, withdrawn, tearful or overwhelmed.

We might think:

"They're just stressed about their results."

And maybe they are.

But maybe there is more underneath.

Fear.
Pressure.
Grief.
Exhaustion.
The enormity of growing up.
Or something completely unrelated that they've been carrying quietly.

So perhaps we can become curious.

Instead of immediately trying to reassure, fix or solve, we can pause and ask:

"How are you really doing?"

And then...

leave some space for the answer.

We don't have to fill the silence.

We don't have to offer a solution.

We don't have to make it better.

We can simply stay.

And perhaps we can offer ourselves that same space.

How often do we ask ourselves:

"How am I really doing?"

And then actually pause long enough to hear the answer?

We can become so used to pushing through, getting on with things, fixing, solving and looking after everyone else.

But what if we paused?

What am I really feeling?

What else might be here?

What have I been holding that hasn't had space?

Because awareness allows us to notice the layers.

Curiosity helps us explore what's underneath.

But space is what allows us to hear what's really there.

So this week, as we support the young people waiting for their results, perhaps we can ask them how they're really doing.

And perhaps ask ourselves too.

Pause.
Breathe.
Listen. 💛

Niamh x
NMG Therapies

10/08/2026

🌿 Results week is here… and I wonder what’s happening beneath the surface?

This week feels a little different in our house.

I have one son waiting for his A-level results and another waiting for his GCSE results next week.

So I have a foot firmly in both camps — the parent and the student.

And if I'm honest, there are nerves in me too.

Because I know these results matter. They will influence what happens next for both of them — where they go, what they do, the choices that open up and perhaps some that don't.

As a mum, of course I want the very best for them.

But I'm also very aware that this week isn't just about grades.

For a young person, there can be so much happening beneath the surface…

✨ excitement about what might be possible
✨ nerves about what the envelope will say
✨ comparing themselves with friends
✨ fear of disappointing their parents
✨ pressure to get the “right” result
✨ uncertainty about what comes next
✨ wondering whether they'll be left behind
✨ not knowing what they actually want to do
✨ feeling like everyone else has it figured out
✨ or simply feeling overwhelmed by the whole thing

And sometimes there can be completely conflicting feelings all at once.

Excited and scared.
Hopeful and worried.
Proud and doubtful.
Ready to move on and not ready at all.

And there may be another feeling underneath all of this that we don't always talk about.

Grief.

Not necessarily grief because something bad has happened.

But the grief that can come with something ending.

Results can mark the end of a chapter.

School or college is ending. Familiar routines, friendships, teachers and a way of life that has been part of their world for years may be changing.

And sometimes we can be so focused on the excitement of what's coming next that we don't give ourselves permission to feel the sadness of what we're leaving behind.

We might think:

I should be excited.

I should be looking forward to the next chapter.

Everyone else is celebrating.

But perhaps a part of us is quietly saying:

“I'm going to miss this.”

And that's okay.

We don't have to choose between excitement and sadness.

Both can exist.

Sometimes the ending deserves just as much acknowledgement as the beginning.

I remember being that young person.

I didn't get the results I wanted for either my GCSEs or A-levels. I had worked hard and felt so disappointed, sad and confused.

And then there was the question of what next?

I didn't know.

I remember feeling like I should know. Like other people seemed to have a plan and I was somehow behind.

Looking back now, I realise how young I actually was.

I eventually fell into radiography — a career I went on to have for 23 years — and I certainly couldn't have imagined then where my life would eventually take me.

So perhaps this week is a reminder that we don't have to have our whole lives figured out at 17 or 18.

And now, as a parent, I'm learning something different.

My job isn't to remove every worry, make everything okay or ensure that my children get the outcome I hope for.

My job is to be the steady, supportive person beside them.

To listen.

To make space for whatever they feel.

To remind them that whatever happens, they are still them.

And if I'm honest, I haven't always found that easy. Being that steady person takes work. It asks me to notice my own fears, expectations and desire to make things better — so that I don't accidentally put those feelings onto them.

Because sometimes our children don't need us to have the answers.

They need somewhere safe to bring the questions.

So, whether you're a student waiting for your results or a parent waiting alongside them, perhaps take a breath this week.

You don't have to know exactly how you're going to feel.

You don't have to know what happens next.

And you don't have to push away the sadness just because something exciting is beginning.

There is room for all of it. ❤️

I've recorded a short free EFT tapping session specifically for students who are feeling nervous, worried or overwhelmed in the run-up to results day.

It's simply a little support to help acknowledge what's happening, settle some of the nervous energy and remind them that whatever comes, they can meet it one moment at a time.

💛 I'll pop the free recording here:
https://youtu.be/an8nx7OkVgQ

And if you're a parent, here is one for you.
https://youtu.be/9HlqSL9SmTo?si=R5a4iUTPTLwJfx26

Because we're waiting alongside them.

20/04/2026

Supporting your child through exams… but who’s supporting you? This is for you ♥️

If you’re supporting a child through exams right now, you might notice the pressure building… wanting to encourage them, keep them motivated, and at the same time protect their wellbeing. That’s not always an easy balance to hold.

Many parents quietly carry their own stress alongside this — hoping you’re doing enough, saying the right thing, keeping everything steady. If that’s you, you’re not alone.

We’ve created a free gentle, supportive EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping script for you to use whenever things feel a bit overwhelming.

EFT is a simple, body-based tool that involves lightly tapping on specific points while focusing on what you’re feeling. It can help calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and create a sense of emotional steadiness — often in just a few minutes.

This isn’t about getting it “perfect” — it’s about giving yourself a moment to reset, so you can show up feeling a little more grounded and resourced for both you and your child.
You deserve support too.

https://youtu.be/EMGQsUanXAs?si=8CYEAmbp6oJhMYKE

We hope this small tool brings a sense of relief and ease into your day 😌

Niamh & Stef xx 💖
https://quantumgoddess.co.uk/

You might be: * Stuck in the same patterns in relationships and parenting or just generally * Feeling constantly overwhelmed or emotionally numb * Not liking who you are at the moment * Experiencing anxiety, fatigue, or chronic illness and suspect there's an emotional root * Strugglin...

08/02/2026

🎶A heart full of ❤️ for Joe and his love and passion for connection with others through the Arts. We have loved watching all his shows over the years and to end on Les Miserables - my favourite show ever. It was the first musical I went to with my Mum and we went all the way to Dublin to see it. My senses exploded. I didn’t know before then that I could feel that way or that music and performance could have such an impact on a person. It connected with my heart and soul - just like the performances this week. All those talented children who gave their performances everything and connected so deeply with the audience. It was a fantastic collaboration of those on and off the stage, working together to create magic ✨ for us to enjoy. Thank you. And to Joe - so proud of your commitment and your passion and for being you. What a privilege to be your Mum. 😍❤️

15/12/2025

Would love you to come join us this Wednesday 17/12/25 at 7:30pm online.

10/11/2025

We are so proud to be offering this live discussion on ‘The Flourishing Mama’ group hosted by the wonderful Sally Mady.

Come and join us online on Thursday 20th November at 2pm for:

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬: 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐬, 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 & 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

Behind every outburst is a child trying to be understood — and a parent doing their best.

If you have small children or teenagers and feeling stuck in constant battles and big emotions - Join us for a short, practical session to help you understand what’s really going on for you and your child, and learn simple tools to bring calm, connection, and cooperation back home.

We’d love to see you there - come and join the conversation and leave with more clarity, confidence and compassion for both you and your children.

Join 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑎𝑚𝑎 Facebook group to watch us live or message us for the Zoom link if you’d like to join directly.

Join group here: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17LoSheM4N/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/11/2025