mental health, politics, and pluralism
I have referred to myself as a pluralistic therapist for a while now. But what does that mean? And how does that apply to therapy, to politics, and to mental and general…
Tag: therapy
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Therapeutic Bypassing
You may be familiar with the concept of spiritual bypassing. If you are not, it can be summarised as using spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with emotional wounds or psychological issues in one’s life. In addition to this well-known way of coping with or avoiding emotional pain, I am also seeing a different…
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The importance of gender, sex, and relationship diversity in counselling training
I’ve recently had a piece published in Counselling Matters, the journal of my professional membership body the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. It’s a reflection on my training to become a therapist and how important it’s been for me to get advanced specialist training in working with people who are gender-expansive, have a range of…
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World Mental Health Day 2022
Much of what you will see about mental health today will focus on anxiety and depression, and the importance of talking to others if you are having a hard time. This is important, as anxiety and depression are some of the most common ways in which people find their mental health gets in the way…
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Minority stress: major impact
Being a member of a minority group – whether that is sexuality, gender, relationship style, neurotype, disability, body size, race or ethnicity – can sometimes feel like living beneath a cloud. Even for those of us proud to live under the rainbow banner, it can feel like a storm is brewing, ready to rain on…
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(Un)real friends – parasocial relationships and mental health
What is a parasocial relationship? It is the social and emotional connection we develop with people in the media that we don’t know personally. The characteristics of a parasocial relationship include feeling a connection and closeness to the person, and that relationship being one-sided. We feel as though we know the people we have parasocial…
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Therapy and fandom
I am a therapist. I am also a fan. I have been a fan for much longer than I have been a therapist, and my relationship with fandom is one that has provided me with a lot of rewarding experiences over the years. In my own therapy, I didn’t share that part of myself with…
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IDAHoBiT 2022 – Inside and Out
17th May is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The global day helps highlight how far we still must go in fully recognising the rights—and humanity—of LGBTQIA+[1] people all over the…