Rowan Horner Creative Counselling

15/07/2026

Hello! I’m back from Scotland and have some available spaces for new clients. I offer free 30 minute consultations to anyone who is thinking about having counselling.

09/07/2026

The sun came out on the last day of the holiday! ☀️☀️ finally saw the tops of the hills, even climbed up one. Got a couple of ticks that came along for the ride, but managed to remove them successfully..

05/07/2026

British summer holiday, the Scottish weather gamble! Having a short break on a windswept Scottish island. Have had awe-inspiring moments of wild creatures up close: deer outside, hares facing off with each other, a young wren that somehow got through the window, into the bathroom when I was in it… and plenty of rain 🌧️
As you’ve probably guessed, I love nature and feel so rejuvenated by animals and birds around me! ❤️

23/06/2026

Found this handsome fungus in Leazes Park. I’ve always been fascinated with mushrooms and toadstools. When I was a kid, I had a ‘Spotters Guide’, the idea of finding a poisonous toadstool was oddly thrilling ..!

11/06/2026

Fun Fact: In my mid-twenties I was a self-employed massage/reflexology practitioner. I had many lovely regular clients who came to see me at my therapy room in Newcastle. Here’s a picture of me and the late Ian McGaskill (weatherman), who was a good sport( but not a ‘regular’..!).

07/06/2026

I currently have some availability for counselling on Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Thursdays. Read about my practice here:

If you're looking for a safe space to talk about how you are feeling and explore ways to move forward, I would love to help you. I’m an experienced counsellor working with children, teenagers, and adults when life feels tough.

06/06/2026

Hi there!
Here's a long honest post about physical challenge and chronic health stuff:
I’ve come to appreciate (‘enjoy’ would be too much of a stretch) regular exercise relatively late in life. A degree of exercise intolerance (it’s a thing) has always made it a bit of a challenge and I’ve had to learn to celebrate the small wins. At its peak, this looked like finally being able to just about slowly jog for 5km once in a while after a LOT of gradual training (thanks Bella for your support and encouragement with that).
However, in October, I did ‘too much’ (which wasn’t that much, so I thought at the time). This triggered some extreme episode/flare up of Post Exertion Malaise/Chronic Fatigue that was so disabling I couldn’t even stand/walk much for a long stretch of time. That was frightening when I was deep in it. I had to learn to pace my energy, rest and very slowly experiment with doing ‘a bit more’. And also learn some acceptance that there was no answers or quick fix. Thankfully my work doesn't require too much physical effort, but mental effort could be very tiring too.
Pleased to say I really love my work, and it’s been quite energising. Today I have attempted to get back into some routine of training which is necessary for strengthening my hypermobile joints and manage chronic pain – something I’ve had since I was young, mainly in my back and my neck. I’ve been for my first run since The Episode, though it wasn’t really a run, it was Week 1 of Couch to 5k. If you’re familiar with that, you’ll know it’s one-minute bursts of jogging between 90 seconds of walking for about 20 mins. I think I actually did sort of enjoy it, this time, I felt happy and grateful that I was able to go out and do this again. I need to maintain that thought, as it gets more challenging, and the brain says less helpful things.
Despite my resistance, I always feel the benefits of having done physical exercise- mental clarity, better focus (something as an ADHD-er I struggle with), improved mood and energy. I feel great right now, hopefully with some rest time, I’ll be doing it again in a couple of days.
A portion of my caseload is made up of young people who struggle with chronic debilitating/disabling health conditions; this recent episode has really opened my eyes to *some of* what they experience, and I really admire their inner strength and ability to keep striving to create a good life despite the extreme challenges they face. I’m so grateful that, in my case, it’s been manageable and with patience (7 months!!) and pacing, I’m pretty much back to my ‘normal’ self, which is relatively fit and well, for a middle-aged woman (who’s somewhere on the Hypermobility Syndrome spectrum).
As a holistic practioner, I'm always learning; sometimes the learning is experiential, the most powerful lessons are!
If you’ve read all this, I’m amazed, thank you 🙏🏼 😂 How’re you doing?

17/04/2026

PARENTS OF TEENAGERS: Nicola Morgan writes really great books for teenagers about emotional well-being, health and managing situations relevant to young people. As GCSEs are upon us, here’s a book recommendation, for managing exams- the time management, the stress, nerves on the day, general brain health (the importance of sleep and diet).
Check out Exam Attack - a Positive Guide to Exam Success and Beating Stress.