Wild Reed Psychotherapy and Counselling

25/07/2026

Today’s Daily Deal on Audible (£2.99) is a book I often recommend to clients: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Set-Boundaries-Find-Peace-Audiobook/1405547448

Grab it now if this is a topic you’re interested in.

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. End the struggle, speak up for what you need and experience the freedom of being truly yourself. Healthy boundaries. We all know we should have them in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people and enjoy rewarding relationships with part.....

18/07/2026

Understanding Therapy Breaks: Why Holidays Can Feel Hard

As my clients know I’ve just taken a short holiday. It’s not the case for all clients, but for some of us (yes, I’m a client too!) a break can feel more emotionally charged than expected.

A pause in therapy can stir up old attachment patterns, questions about safety, or worries about being forgotten. For many, it echoes earlier experiences of inconsistency, separation, or having to manage difficult feelings alone. None of this is a sign of failure. The challenge is making sure it’s part of the therapeutic work.

Therapy breaks can provide valuable insight. They show you how you manage the “in between” space, what feelings arise when support is temporarily unavailable, and how you soothe yourself when the usual rhythm changes. These are all things to explore when sessions resume.

A holiday doesn’t interrupt your growth. It simply gives us another lens through which to understand your inner world.
If you’re finding a therapy break difficult, your feelings are valid. Tell your therapist! And know these feelings are always welcome in the room with me.

Also worth a mention: if you find yourself completely unaffected by a break, or experiencing relief, this is also useful information that can and should be talked about in the room.

06/06/2026

If you’re curious about why your mind does what it does (the spirals, the reassurance‑seeking, the “just in case” behaviours) then the Disordered podcast is an excellent place to start.
It blends solid psychology with a very human tone, making complex ideas feel accessible and hopeful.
I often recommend episodes to people who want to understand their anxiety without judgement or pressure.

It covers a wide range of topics that many people quietly struggle with, including:

Intrusive thoughts - why they happen, why they feel so sticky, and how to relate to them differently

Compulsions and mental rituals - the subtle ways we try to feel safe, and how they keep us stuck

Reassurance seeking - from Googling symptoms to asking loved ones for certainty

Avoidance patterns - the everyday behaviours that shrink our world without us noticing

Health anxiety and the fear of “missing something important”

Relationship anxiety - including fear of abandonment, doubt, and over‑analysis

Perfectionism and the pressure to get everything “right”

Uncertainty tolerance - learning to live with the unknown

Nervous system responses - understanding why your body reacts before your mind can catch up

What I appreciate most is how normalising it is. There’s no shaming, no pathologising - just clear explanations, practical tools, and a sense of “you’re not broken - you’re human.”

If you’ve been wanting to understand your anxiety in a way that feels empowering rather than overwhelming, this is a thoughtful place to begin: https://www.disordered.fm/

02/05/2026

I often recommend ‘Come As You Are’ by Emily Nagoski to clients. I’m sharing it here because I was reading it again yesterday, and I was reminded how it’s one of the most well-written, compassionate books on female (cis-gender) sexual wellbeing. What I also appreciate is how Nagoski’s narrative voice achieves a tone that reduces shame rather than adds to it.
This is one of the most validating, myth-challenging books out there.

05/04/2026

🌿 When life shifts, even quietly, it can leave us feeling unanchored. My latest blog explores that tender in‑between space where the old story has ended, but the new one hasn’t yet found its words.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re standing in a doorway between who you were and who you’re becoming, you’re not alone.
In this piece, I explore:
✨ the quiet ache that change can stir
✨ the pull toward old patterns
✨ the discomfort of not knowing what comes next
✨ how therapy can gently hold you while you find your footing again
You don’t have to rush your becoming. You don’t have to have a map.
You’re allowed to pause, grieve, rest, and grow slowly.
If this resonates, you can read the full blog here:
https://www.wildreedtherapy.co.uk/blogs/when-life-changes-learning-to-breathe-in-the-in%E2%80%91between
And if you’re navigating your own in‑between, you’re welcome to reach out when you feel ready. You don’t have to walk it alone.

Hi, my name is Sara Whittaker. I am a Gestalt counsellor and psychotherapist working in Reading, Berkshire. Contact me for more information on how we can work together.

20/03/2026

So many of us carry shame quietly, believing it’s ours to manage alone.
It shows up in the way we shrink ourselves, apologise for existing, or worry that if people really knew us, they’d leave.

I wrote this piece because shame is something I meet so often in the therapy room, and something I known personally too. You were never meant to carry that weight by yourself.

If any of this resonates, I hope these words help you feel a little less alone, and a little more understood. 💛
Read the full blog here:
Understanding Shame: The Quiet Weight You Were Never Meant to Carry

Hi, my name is Sara Whittaker. I am a Gestalt counsellor and psychotherapist working in Reading, Berkshire. Welcome to my website. Contact me for more information on how we can work together.

07/03/2026

Low self‑worth doesn’t always show up as obvious insecurity.
Sometimes it looks like overthinking everything you said, feeling “too much” or “not enough", apologising when you’ve done nothing wrong or working incredibly hard yet never feeling good enough.
These patterns don’t appear out of nowhere. They’re often shaped by early experiences of criticism, emotional distance, having to be the “strong one,” or learning that your needs didn’t matter.
If you relate to this, it isn’t a personal failing. It’s a response to what you lived through.
Therapy can help you gently unlearn these old stories and begin building a kinder, steadier relationship with yourself. You don’t have to do that alone.

If this resonates, you can read the full blog here: What Low Self-Worth Really Looks Like - Link in the Comments

Let me know what you think!