James Palfreyman Counselling & Psychotherapy

19/07/2026

I received a brilliant question via Instagram a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve really struggled to settle on a response that I felt happy with…

The question:

If everyone followed one piece of advice from a psychotherapist, what would have the biggest impact on public health?

The struggle I had wasn’t about a lack of an answer. The problem was that I just couldn’t whittle it down to one simple answer that I felt did justice to the question… so I’m going to flex the rules a little bit (AKA cheat) and give a three part answer…

This is part one…

24/06/2026

I had a response to my Friday post inviting questions from you lovely people; and I have to say it was a great question, from a wonderful person, doing incredible things!

The question:

“I teach English to Ukrainian guys on the front line. My question is, when they are feeling pressure or may have lost someone in their unit, what is the best way to handle the conversation. I hate mouthing platitudes and I try not to steer the conversation away as I feel they need to vent but I feel so inadequate. Any advice would be great - and much appreciated 🙏 “

Response in the video.

Although the question was about a very specific scenario, the fundamentals of the question are universal, when it comes to being in the presence of someone struggling with with things like trauma, loss, fear, or uncertainty.

My response here may seem quite basic, but to someone feeling in total chaos, less will almost certainly mean more.

I hope I’ve done this really great question justice, and hope that some of you have also found it useful!

If you have a question for me, relating to psychotherapy, mental health, or something a little more random, please let me know either on here, via Messenger, or email.

Be safe!

22/06/2026

You may have noticed that I’m not a prolific social media user, or worse, you may have completely forgotten that you follow this page at all! That one is on me, but I’m looking to make better use of it all now, and more importantly, to make it a valuable thing for you (even if it’s just the entertainment value of watching me trip over my words, and generally look awkward on camera)!

It may not be possible (or even appropriate) to reply to everything, but I’ll certainly do what I can. Hopefully we can cover some important things, and have a bit of fun along the way!

14/10/2024

A little later than I had planned to share...

https://jamespalfreyman-counsellingandpsychotherapy.com/2024/10/14/prevention-over-cure-our-shared-responsibility-for-the-future-of-mental-health/

This is not the article I’d planned to write today for this World Mental Health Day. I had intended to write a fairly standard “What is Mental Health?” type piece with a focus on recovery and the types of things... Continue Reading →

14/07/2024

I have appointments available on Mondays and Thursdays in Oakham.

Contact via the website:

jamespalfreyman-counsellingandpsychotherapy.com