Footsteps Counselling & Wellbeing

02/09/2026

Going back to school can stir up a lot for teenagers. 💛

They might be excited to see friends again, but also anxious about teachers, lessons, exams, friendships, or just getting back into a routine.

Sometimes that anxiety doesn't look like anxiety. It can show up as irritability, anger, tears, or wanting to avoid school altogether.

So instead of "you'll be fine," try asking: "What part of going back is feeling hardest right now?"

Then give them space to talk, without rushing to fix it. Feeling heard is often the first step towards feeling able to cope.

Big feelings about the return to school don't mean your teenager is being difficult. They're just trying to tell you how they feel.

www.footstepscounselling.co.uk

26/08/2026

Stress doesn't just live in our thoughts. It lives in our bodies too. Tight shoulders, a churning stomach, a permanently clenched jaw. These aren't just physical sensations. They're communication.

Learning to tune into what your body is telling you is one of the most useful things you can do for your mental health, and it's something I work on with clients regularly.

Swipe through for four gentle ways to start.

Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk to book a free consultation if you'd like to explore this further.

20/08/2026

Today is GCSE results day. And whatever those results say, I want you to know something.

You are not your grades.

A number on a piece of paper cannot measure your curiosity, your kindness, your resilience, or your potential. It cannot measure what you went through this year, or how hard you tried, or who you are becoming.

For some of you, today will feel like relief. For some, it will feel like disappointment. For some, it will bring a complicated mix of both. Whatever you're feeling today is valid. All of it.

If results day has stirred up something bigger: anxiety about the future, feelings of not being good enough, pressure you've been carrying for a long time - please know that support is available.

I work with young people from age 11. If you'd like to talk, I offer a free initial consultation.

Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk to get in touch.

19/08/2026

Poor sleep and poor mental health are closely linked, and it doesn't always feel obvious which one started it.

What I know from working with clients is that the anxiety about not sleeping is often as disruptive as the sleeplessness itself. And that small, consistent changes can make a real difference over time.

Swipe through for four things worth trying. Save this one for tonight if you need it.

If sleep problems are a regular part of life for you, it might be worth exploring what's driving them. Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk to book a free consultation.

18/08/2026

⭐️My Between Session: A gentle companion gif your counselling journey Workbook is now available on Amazon!

Designed for young adults/ adults who want a little support between counselling sessions.
Between Session provides space to reflect, explore thoughts and feelings, and work through helpful prompts. ☁️🌥️

Whether you’re in counselling or simply want to understand yourself a little better, it’s a practical resource to use in your own time. 🪴

Between Sessions: A gentle companion for your counselling journey

13/08/2026

A gentle reminder for today.

You don't need to have been productive enough, helpful enough, or busy enough to deserve rest. Rest is not a reward. It's a need.

If that's a hard one to sit with, it might be worth exploring why.

Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk if you'd like to talk.

06/08/2026

Perfectionism isn't really about high standards. It's about fear.

Fear of getting it wrong. Fear of being judged. Fear that if you don't do it perfectly, something bad will happen, or people will see what you're really like underneath.

Perfectionism is exhausting to live with. It keeps the goalposts permanently moving, so there's never a point where you actually feel good enough. It makes starting things difficult, because if you can't do it perfectly, why do it at all? And it can quietly eat away at self-esteem over time, because nothing you do ever quite measures up.

If you're a perfectionist, you probably already know that telling yourself to just relax or reminding yourself that done is better than perfect doesn't really help. Because the perfectionism isn't about the task. It's about what you believe will happen if you fall short.

Therapy can help you explore where that belief came from, and start to build a different relationship with your own expectations.

You don't have to earn your worth through perfect performance.

Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk to book a free consultation.

04/08/2026

Anger gets a bad reputation. But anger itself isn't the problem. What we do with it, and what we do when we don't know what to do with it, is where things can get complicated.

Anger is almost always carrying a message. And learning to hear that message, rather than just react to it or suppress it, can make a real difference.

Swipe through for four ways to work with anger rather than against it.

If anger is something you'd like to explore further, I can help. Visit footstepscounselling.co.uk to book a free consultation.