Latest articles on counselling and therapy

Since launching in 2013, the highly endorsed Reading Well scheme has helped over 778,000 people across the country. With titles available to borrow, free of charge, from 98% of England’s libraries, discover the latest books chosen by health experts, those living with mental health conditions, their relatives and carers.

Each year, health professionals, library staff and users are surveyed on their experiences with the Reading Well programme. Combined with book sales and borrowing data,...

We live in a 24/7 world where much is visual - so it is not surprising we often place more value on our bodies than we do our minds. Because our minds are not on show, they tend to get forgotten. Feelings of rejection, abandonment and loneliness get worse if we choose to ignore keeping our mental health, well, healthy. Loneliness is a big problem in today's modern world, affecting all ages and all stages of life. If we allow loneliness to dominate our thinking then we risk creating deep...

The effects of loneliness are considered as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Understanding loneliness, and especially who it affects, is important if we want to tackle the problem.

At the start of 2018 the Prime Minister announced the government’s plans to tackle loneliness in Britain, part of this strategy involved an investigation into who was affected and what the risk factors for loneliness are.

Using data from the Community Life Survey (2016 - 2017), the Office...

The Oxford dictionary defines a holiday as "an extended period of leisure and recreation". For some, holidays really are a time to relax and re-charge the batteries, spend time with friends and family. Plans start weeks, maybe months, ahead - who will be there? What shall we do? What shall we eat?! The anticipation is half the enjoyment. For others, holidays are a real trial, something to get through without too much damage.  Family gatherings can be fraught with expectation,...

So many men on the outside seem as though they have everything figured out; a good career, a loving partner, possibly children who adore or loathe them (depending on age and the child) and a home that is comfortable. Naturally you spend more time with your family or partner than you would your friends that you have acquired along the way as you get older. Then something happens and talking to your partner isn’t what you want or need and you find yourself longing for your friends of old...

If you are going though a breakup, separation or divorce, you might be feeling sad, distressed, angry, or perhaps numb, lost and confused. If the decision to end the relationship wasn’t yours, there might be feelings of rejection, insecurities, low self-esteem, low self-confidence and vulnerability. Going through a breakup is experiencing real loss, and the bigger the love, the connection and the intimacy, the bigger the pain and suffering. This loss can take over your thoughts and...

Have you ever wondered why you're rarely single but every relationship you've been in always felt so lonely? Do you find yourself in relationships where you and you partner have little in common or to talk about but you have lots of sex? Your partner is never there for you when you need emotional support and they to are incapable of intimacy? Have you ever spent hours obsessing over your partner only to find they really couldn't give a fig about you? Not just because they are selfish but...

Some friendships can feel seamless when there rarely appears to be any problems in maintaining a good connection. Other friendships can feel like they are hard work. Knowing when to ditch them or invest time and energy is the key issue. Some friends will have been with you through key times in your life and you may feel heavily invested with them. Others might have been more recent connections. To know when your friendship is floundering you could consider the following:

You begin to feel...