Therapy and Counselling Services

14/09/2021

Echoing guidance I’ve given before around inner child work and journal prompts. This is what journaling for your inner child COULD look like. Take it or leave it guys- if it doesn’t feel good don’t force it.

✍️ I’m writing a letter of forgiveness for for inner child today 📄

I’m looking back on a memory of when I stole crayons from school, a gold and a silver one. This memory is about 22 years old but there’s still residual emotion in it i want to work with.

Working with the theme of forgiveness, I’m wondering if I took those crayons home because I was fearful. They were so special, I’d never seen gold and silver crayons before.

💡I’m wondering if I was scared that other children would ruin them💡
💡 Maybe I was scared that when I needed them they wouldn’t be there? 💡
🙋‍♀️I’m so here for this ^realisation!!!

I’m forgiving the little girl who found those gold and silver crayons so special that she didn’t trust others to look after them. She wanted to keep them pristine and perfect. She wanted to preserve them and treasure them.

Through reflecting on this memory I’ve also found forgiveness for the teacher who caught me out and dumped a heavy bag of shame on me- that if I’m honest I’m still unpacking.

I’m not diminishing my responsibility. I knew what I did was wrong and I still do.

In 20 minutes of reflection, I’ve peeled back a layer of guilt and shame and gifted myself some forgiveness and compassion. Which is allowing me to leach away some of the shame from a memory that would seem meaningless to an adult. Looking at it through the inner child lens there’s so much potential here to recognise unmet needs in childhood and for me to learn the skills to meet these needs as an adult.

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12/09/2021

I was listening to one of recently when she spoke about how she had dismissed breathing for a number of years as a tool for .

She said she was working with the American military on and she came across … Suddenly breathwork sounded a little more appealing💡

When tactical breathing was explained she had this daunting realisation that she’d learned the technique before from the and shrugged it off

Calling Brené out here…. This resistance was an old pattern. I wonder if it was keeping her nervous system stuck?

I’ve shared tactical breathing with many clients since.

I wanted to extend this information to my Instagram community, with the footnote that I know you’ve probably heard it before. So for this of you who have…. I added a little bit of research 🧐 for you.

I think it’s very important to credit the sources of your inspiration/ information.

Thank you

11/09/2021

Are you listening this weekend?

07/09/2021

For some of us rest doesn’t feel accessible. Our nervous systems know the hustle far too well.

The thought of stopping or slowing down feels ‘unsafe’ on a psychological and physiological level.

Walking a path to rest might include some landmarks like:
Permission
Establishing self worth B E F O R E achievement.

If you are on the hamster wheel. If a rest day feels ‘unproductive’ or it brings up feeling of not having done enough to earn it….. you are welcome here. The feeling of having to DO MORE to BE MORE, is welcome here.

06/09/2021

Did you know 💡

I’m a student Play Therapist. I work 1:1 with children in schools.

After graduating in my child development degree and passing my counselling diploma last year- I started a post grad in play therapy with PTUK.

I love working in schools, but the September feeling is a tricky one. I thrive when I’m in a routine. It’ll probably take me a few weeks to feel my way into being back at school.

To anyone feeling a little wobbly getting back to something after a break away or starting something new. I see you. You and your feelings are welcome here.

06/09/2021

I left my diary at home and we headed for the this weekend.

Just the right balance of rest and adventure.

When’s the last time you left your dairy at home?

06/09/2021

22/08/2021

I’ve been crystal jewellery crafting for the first time in a while…. I’VE MISSED IT.

Self care, creativity and crystals all rolled into one!

How do you get creative? Post some ideas 👇

17/08/2021

Hey guys I’m over here setting up a space to challenge messages in what is soon to be THE SELF COMPASSION MOVEMENT.

The group will be free. There will be weekly maybe…. & I wonder if…. prompts posted by me. For those of us who love to journal.

Some of my boss mates in their own therapeutic roles have agreed to contribute. 🤞

I’ll kick things off in the group soon with a ‘podcast’ type chat on ‘the comfort zone’. With my gals


Put your hand up 🙋‍♀️ 🙋‍♂️ if you wanna be a part of THE SELF COMPASSION MOVEMENT.

17/08/2021

Tuning in is a fine balance between retreat, rest and being real with yourself. Tuning in when things are going good, of course you’d enjoy it. Tuning in your when overwhelm sets in- that’s when you know your committed to ‘the work’. It’s so easy to fall into avoidant patterns. ‘Burying your head in the sand’.

Maybe you could try:
✔️ a self check in
✔️a brain dump
✔️sleep

A self check in could be asking questions like:
Have I came across any triggers today?
How is my body feeling?
Have I eat enough?
Am I hydrated?

A brain dump is a brilliant way of showing your eyes what your mind is thinking. I say to clients unless you can roll your eyes to your mind and see your thoughts they can be a little hard to pin down and work with.

Some people have resistance in putting pen to paper 📝 they say it makes it more ‘real’. A brain dump might not be for you… but I would offer the perspective that if you are feeling overwhelmed and emotionally/physically/mentally overwhelmed…. tuning in enables you to better identify what you need.

Pick up the pen and start writing what you *think* is bothering you. Pushing your buttons draining you. Then dig a little teeny tiny bit deeper…. You might just find your way into the ‘feels’ of it.

A tip…. set a timer of 15 minutes. This may enable you to commit to it knowing there’s an element of containment for the tough stuff.

Finally sleep…. for some of us probably feels like a luxury.

Neuroscience tells us that we process unresolved emotions in sleep. So an early night or a lie in may enable you to feel better rested and able to chip away at what came up on your check in/ brain dump.

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Anyone who’s feeling scared to slow down. Anyone who’s been on the hamster wheel so long that they’re scared to jump off. I see you. I appreciate slowing down and tuning in can be scary.

15/08/2021

The word ‘trigger’ doesn’t feel comfortable for everyone. I like to feel my way into what terminology feels good for clients. Some people like describing how unresolved trauma can show up as feeing ‘emotionally activated’. I myself have described a trauma trigger in therapy ‘setting my self worth on fire and burning it to ashes’⚡️🔥(Unapologetically showing up as a work in progress)

However the trauma shows up, however you want to describe it. It’s not a weakness. There’s so so much strength in self awareness and in the acknowledgement phase of trauma work.

Walking through the doorway of awareness into working with the impact of trauma isn’t easy.

But finding a professional who you feel comfortable with and who enables YOU to do the work will enable you to take ownership of the trauma story. You’ll begin to integrate and work WITH the trauma as many of us auto pilot into working AGAINST it.

To all those navigating trauma, I see you. I honour your courageous efforts.

💙