Spectrum Counselling Psychology

25/07/2026

After a gruelling but inspiring and educational 18mths (maybe) I feel extremely proud that our first draft version is now available from the Division of Counselling Psychology microsite to be read and used.

For those who planned on reviewing this for us please note the deadline of Sept 6th 2026 (when I'm back off leave and rrady to face it again!).

Division of Counselling Psychology

25/07/2026

Powerful animation if the perils of following the rat race. Happiness only comes from following your own true path.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da-Sx5uxhNd/?igsh=cHNmcGk4dTNtYTFw

07/07/2026

With extreme sensory and word overload I struggled to speak or ground myself by day 2 of this years BPS Division of Counselling Psychology conference in Manchester.
. Wonderfully inspiring experience as always but also overwhelming.

If anybody had wondered how I am qualified to lead 'Recreating Research'...this was how I experienced it...

06/07/2026

Did you pick up this years collectors postcards, celebrating the music of Manchester?
dcop

06/07/2026

Another year of inspirational speakers, members and trainees all coming together in a place of belonging.
dcop

04/07/2026

Manchester...you were a complete joy and will need to come and visit you again when not working. I need to immerse myself in the same creative and vibrant energy that was brought to this years .dcop conference and the ongoing 'Recreating Research' presentations. You are all an inspiration!

14/06/2026

I'm starting understand with this book why I have an affinity to reading Japanese authors.
They are not afraid to explores the realms the human psyche can explore if we allow them.
They explore those places we can all have access to but but may never dare to go because of its untethered, unboundaried energy.
As the neurodivergent boy in the story, the soulless town can be a sanctity as he doesn't belong in the world he exists in.
As a creative I explore these realms in myself but have learnt ways in which to keep myself anchored in the real world but am also drawn to hide in the walled town where nobody can touch me.
I reflect maybe the last 2 years I've found myself (in part) in the town behind the wall by overworking. As ive realised and actioned a reduction in workload I am left feeling untethered and maybe fearful of returning back to my creative and exploratory realm.
What are my anchors? My house, my sleep and daily routine, my body, my practice, kayaking.
From here I can explore.
Which town am I now in? Behind the rigid walls and soulless leading to existential crisis, unanchored and overwhelmed, or using my anchors where I can move between them.
For now I shall go and kayak!

05/06/2026

Nothing we didn't already know and is the constant challenge faced in our profession. But the public may not be aware of this so please read.
Please challenge your GP if they insist on sending you to CBT because you are more than a symptom..
There is vast research that comes in many forms that show the benefits of other forms of talking therapy that captures the complexity and individuality of causation of mental health concerns.

Why the NHS keeps offering you the same therapy. And why the science behind that decision is shakier than you think.

27/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/176H6UP4ej/

13/05/2026

I can completely relate! I'm struggling to articulate my experience to myself leadtcalone anybody else. I's beyond anything I've known and I don't recognise it in myself so how do I describe it enough for others to understand? And so I'm just left feeling scared with this thing that's taking over me and dont know what's coming next from moment to moment.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FsRs71nwd/

Me and my crazy hair, which feels quite fitting for a post about menopause and mental health.

Mental Health Awareness Week feels like an important time to talk about the impact of menopause on mental health.

For many women, menopause and perimenopause are not just about hot flushes or changes to periods. They can affect mood, sleep, anxiety levels, concentration, confidence and emotional regulation in ways that feel frightening and hard to explain.

Some women describe tearfulness, rage, panic, low mood, brain fog, internal agitation or a sense that they are no longer coping in the way they once did. Others feel ashamed, dismissed or misunderstood, especially when what they are experiencing gets reduced to “stress” or “just getting older”.

Hormonal change can have a very real impact on the brain, body and nervous system. For some women, it can also stir up older vulnerabilities, trauma responses or neurodivergent struggles that had previously been managed or masked.

This is why awareness matters.

Women deserve to be listened to.
They deserve accurate information.
They deserve thoughtful healthcare.
And they deserve support that does not make them feel weak, dramatic or as though they are somehow failing.

If this stage of life has affected your mental health, you are not alone and you are not imagining it.

Menopause can affect mental health.
Perimenopause can affect mental health.
And women deserve far more understanding than they often receive.