Happy new year! I'm not sure I can quite believe that it's 2020, I'm definitely feeling both the change of seasons and my age this year! Have a look at this blog post for the things I'm going to be working on this year.

We're so close to the big day I can smell the cranberry sauce! For a bit of fun, I thought I'd do a "survival guide" for all you therapists out there (counsellors, clinical psychologists, assorted trainees, etc). It's only meant in jest, because it's the season of love and laughter after all!

This week on the blog I'm musing about motivation. Join me after the cut to think about how to motivate yourself when you feel like your mojo is missing.

This blog is a year old in December! To celebrate, I'm having a look back over my old blog posts, to see if anything has changed for me over the last year.

Apologies if you're a parent looking to shush an unruly child; this isn't the post for you! Instead, I'm looking at quietening your mind in a world full of loud and colourful distractions. Read on to learn how to be quiet.

I love Halloween! It's my favourite time of year, partly because of the whole ambience of it all and partly because I'm a bit of a goth at heart. I got rid of a lot of the outward signs of this when I started to work in the NHS (purple hair and New Rock boots are generally frowned upon in clinic), but my headphones are usually blasting something dark and melancholy. This week, after my 1975 post, another fun blog post showcasing some of my favourite goth-y bands and their lyrics!

My best friend is a great guy. I've written about him before, and when I told him I was starting a blog I asked him for ideas. One of the things he came back to me with was "how can I identify people who are struggling and what can I do to help?" This post is for him, and for those of you out there who might not struggle with your mental health but know someone who does.

It's October! The nights are drawing in, it's getting cooler and darker on a morning, and pumpkin spice-flavoured items are literally everywhere. Love it or hate it, you might need a little extra help to manage your mental health in autumn - here's a blog post to make sure you get it.

My previous post explaining chronic pain (and my post about how to manage it) were quite popular, so this week I'm bringing you more of my reflections on working with people who are struggling with chronic pain.

This weeks blog post is a bit different - it's a personal reflection on practising what I preach, namely self care and taking time for yourself!