Active Listening Therapies

05/08/2026

“I didn't know who to talk to.”

That is one of the most common things we hear from people across Balderton, Southwell, Fernwood, Bingham, Collingham, Middlebeck, Muskham, Grantham, and the Vale of Belvoir when they first contact us.

Stress builds gradually. Anxiety becomes normal. Grief is carried quietly. Relationship difficulties are pushed to one side. Life changes are managed one day at a time until eventually someone realises they have been coping alone for much longer than they thought.

Our latest blog explores what it can feel like to search for counselling support near home and why having a safe, confidential space to talk can make such a difference. It looks at anxiety, burnout, bereavement, relationships, confidence, trauma, and major life changes, and offers gentle reflections rather than quick fixes.

If you have been telling yourself that everyone else seems to cope better, please know that many people feel exactly the same before they reach out.

You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from counselling, and you do not need to have all the right words before making contact.

Active Listening Therapies is based in Newark, close to the A1/A46/A17 interchange, allowing easy access to the surrounding communities.

📖 Read the blog here: https://www.activelisteningtherapies.com/counselling-near-me-blog/

📍 Face-to-face counselling in Newark and online support across the surrounding communities.

Finding the Right Counselling Support Near You: Helping Communities Across Newark and Surrounding Areas People seek counselling for many different reasons. Sometimes life feels overwhelming, emotions become difficult to manage, relationships become challenging, or a period of change leaves you unsur...

21/07/2026

Are you in Derby or Ashby and looking for trusted counselling… this is who we recommend.

17/07/2026

IT'S ONLY FOOTBALL... OR IS IT? ⚽

When the final whistle blows and the dream is over, many people are left feeling empty.

For England fans, a World Cup journey is rarely just about the result. It can represent hope, excitement, connection, shared memories and those moments where everyone feels part of something bigger.

So when it ends, feeling disappointed, frustrated or even genuinely gutted is a normal human response.

Our latest blog explores five practical ways to cope with sporting disappointment, regain perspective and look after your emotional wellbeing.

Because understanding our emotions isn't just important after a football defeat - it helps us navigate all of life's highs and lows.

If you're finding that disappointment, stress or low mood is becoming difficult to manage, counselling can provide a safe space to explore what you're experiencing.

Read the blog here: https://www.activelisteningtherapies.com/when-football-breaks-your-heart-how-counselling-helps-with-defeat/

For many people, supporting England isn’t “just football.” It is a way of life, and when people face grief and loss counselling might be the answer. It’s hope. It’s family traditions. It’s text messages flying around the group chat. It’s strangers hugging in pubs. It’s believing that...

03/07/2026

Sometimes the words we need most aren't spoken in a counselling room.

Sometimes they're found at two o'clock in the morning, when sleep won't come and the questions won't stop.

Over the last few years we've written articles about anxiety, grief, relationships, confidence, young people, menopause, supervision, emotional wellbeing and many other aspects of mental health and how to manage personal challenges - not because we wanted to fill a website, but because we hoped that somewhere, someone might feel a little less alone.

This week we quietly reached an important milestone...

100 blogs.

Every one written with care.

Written to inform, encourage and reassure.

Created with the belief that good mental health information should be freely available to everyone.

Whether you're looking for answers, supporting someone you love, or simply trying to understand your own experiences a little better, we hope you'll find something that speaks to you.

Thank you to everyone who has read, shared and supported Active Listening Therapies. Here's to the next 100.

Explore our free mental health library here:

A regularly updated blog from Active Listening Therapies featuring information, news stories, thoughts and mental health trends to keep you informed.

27/06/2026

When exams end, not every young person feels relief.

In fact, for many, the emotional pressure doesn’t just disappear. It can shift into anxiety, low mood, exhaustion, or a sense of being “flat” after weeks of sustained stress.

Parents are often surprised by this. You expect relief at the end of exams, not withdrawal or distress. But what we’re often seeing is the nervous system finally letting go after holding tension for so long.

This is known as the post-exams emotional crash - and it’s far more common than most people realise. With the right understanding and support, young people can recover and gradually regain balance.

Support doesn’t always need to be complicated. It starts with recognising what’s happening rather than trying to fix it immediately.

Without that understanding, young people can feel misunderstood at a time when they most need calm connection and reassurance.

At Active Listening Therapies, we offer both online and face-to-face counselling for young people, creating a space where they can make sense of what they’re feeling in a way that works for them.

You can read more in our latest blog.

When the pressure of exams stops, something unexpected can happen There’s a pattern I’ve seen repeatedly over the years working with young people and families. Everyone expects relief when exams end. And sometimes that’s exactly what happens – a real sense of release, celebration, even exhau...

13/06/2026

We’ve added a new blog to the Active Listening Therapies website exploring something many people quietly experience but rarely talk about: the feeling of coping, but not thriving.

From the outside, life can look fine. Work is being done, responsibilities are being met, and everything appears to be in place. Yet underneath that surface, many people describe a different reality - ongoing tiredness, emotional overload, irritability, anxiety, or a sense of being constantly “on” without ever fully recovering.

This new blog looks at what this hidden exhaustion can feel like, why it is so easy to miss, and how it can build gradually over time. It also explores how counselling can offer a space to pause, reflect, and begin to make sense of what is happening internally, rather than just pushing through.

You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from counselling. Often, it begins much earlier than that - in the quieter moments when something simply does not feel right anymore.

If this resonates with you, you may find the blog helpful.

You can read it now on the Active Listening Therapies website.

A regularly updated blog from Active Listening Therapies featuring information, news stories, thoughts and mental health trends to keep you informed.

12/06/2026

What if this is the week you stopped putting yourself last?

Over the past few months, Louise’s counselling diary has been full, supporting people through anxiety, grief, relationship strain, and the quiet weight of holding too much together.

A small number of appointments have now become available again.

Most people don’t notice how much they’re carrying until it starts to spill into everything else.

The tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix.
The overthinking that won’t switch off.
The feeling of coping, but only just.

Counselling offers a space where you don’t have to keep holding it all alone.

Not to be 'fixed' - but to be heard. Understood, and supported in making sense of what’s going on.

And often, the hardest part isn’t the work itself - it’s deciding that you matter enough to begin.

Waiting rarely makes things easier.

What starts as manageable stress or worry can gradually become something heavier, more constant, and harder to untangle alone.

If you’ve been thinking about counselling, this could be your moment to take a first step.

To enquire about availability, contact Louise directly:
[email protected]

Or visit Active Listening Therapies to learn more:

Active Listening Therapies is a friendly and experienced counselling provider in Newark on Trent. We work with young people, adults, schools and businesses who are looking for mental health support.

10/06/2026

How many times have you put yourself at the bottom of your own priority list?

Following a particularly busy period, Louise now has availability for new clients.

Work needs doing.
Family needs you.
Friends need support.
Life keeps moving.

And somewhere amongst all of that, your own wellbeing can quietly slip down the agenda.

Many people who come to counselling tell us they spent months, sometimes years, convincing themselves that everyone else should come first.

What they often discover is that making space for themselves isn't selfish - it's necessary.

The reality is that emotional struggles rarely resolve simply because we stay busy. Left unattended, stress, anxiety, self-doubt and relationship difficulties can gradually become harder to manage.

Making time for support today can be far easier than waiting until things feel unmanageable.

If you've been thinking about counselling, now is a good time to explore whether Louise could be the right fit for you.

You can get in touch with Louise directly: [email protected]

Or, you can visit the Active Listening Therapies website to learn more:

Active Listening Therapies is a friendly and experienced counselling provider in Newark on Trent. We work with young people, adults, schools and businesses who are looking for mental health support.