My story: who am I, how did I get here and why do I do what I do?
It has been a while since I shared my background: who am I, how did I get here and why do I do this work? Here is the story of my journey so far…
Blogs
How Much Can We Blame On Our Parents?
As children, we want to be liked, accepted and loved. So we adapt our behaviours to gain the approval of our caregivers and to ‘fit in.’
However, the behavioural adaptations we made in order to survive childhood often do not serve us as adults. At this point we might blame all of our problems on our parents – after all, was it not them who forced us to behave in these unhelpful ways?!
But how much can we blame on our parents and to what degree must we be accountable for our choices as adults? How can we bring our unconscious patterns into our awareness and break the inter-generational chain of trauma?
What I Learned From My Placements At Two Psychiatric Hospitals
In the two months leading up to Christmas, I spent two days per week on placement at two psychiatric hospitals. This was part of of my psychotherapy training – giving me a fuller view of mental illness and our mental health system, whilst also helping me understand the limitations of psychotherapy. This blog outlines what I learned from my placements at two psychiatric hospitals.
Male loneliness: the epidemic that is as harmful as heart disease
Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic continues to bring challenges to our personal and social health, there is a hidden epidemic that is a harmful to men’s health as heart disease. Loneliness: a taboo subject but one that we need to address urgently. In this blog, Paul explores the individual and social factors beneath loneliness, and shares his personal journey out of chronic loneliness.
How becoming a Mental Health First Aider changed me
Nazia, our social Media intern, says that becoming a Mental Health First Aider has truly changed her. In this blog, she explains the huge impact this training has had on her.
From boosting understanding of mental health to enhancing relationships and changing her approach to self-care, Nazia shares her experience of this empowering training.
Mental Health First Aid versus physical First Aid
What is the difference between Mental Health First Aid and physical First Aid? What are the similarities? Read this short blog to find out…
What is psychotherapy? How is it different to psychology and psychiatry?
“What is the difference between psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry?” In this brief blog, Paul offers a response to this commonly-asked question…and shares why he loves psychotherapy.
How I learned self-compassion through meditation and mindfulness
In this guest blog, Catherine Banks, meditation teacher and holistic practitioner, explains how mindfulness and meditation helped her cultivate self-compassion.
Working From Home: the Risks to Mental Health
Up to 60% of UK employees are working from home during the pandemic. This brings many risks to our mental health, wellbeing and productivity.
The boundaries between work and home life can become blurred, we may fall into unhelpful working habits and the lack of human contact can result in chronic loneliness.
This blog explores these issues and suggests how we can avoid the the mental health risks of working from home.