Welcome to the Westmeria Counselling blog, where our counsellors and expert contributors share valuable insights about the challenges that matter most, from managing anxiety to coping with loss.
Each month, we publish thoughtful articles designed to offer guidance and practical tools for emotional well-being. Whether you’re currently in counselling or looking for ways to support your mental health, we hope you find these blogs helpful and reassuring.
My Counselling Journey by Sheel U
I have always been curious about human behaviour. I dipped my toes in to the counselling study waters years ago, by enrolling in an introductory counselling course at my local adult education centre. Becoming a counsellor was never part of the plan, but the subject...
Parallel Spaces: Exploring the Synergy Between Counselling and Interior Design
By Isabelle H Changing careers can feel like stepping into a brand-new world with no blueprint or plan, something I have always relied upon with my background in Interior Design. So, when I decided to take my first steps into counselling, it seemed on the surface like...
How music can play a part in the counselling room by Laura C
My first love, long before counselling, was music. My life has always been full of playlists, and wherever I am, there is always music playing if I can help it, and my degree was in Popular & World Music. I was therefore thrilled to uncover the role that music can...
Fighting OCD and Finding Hope: Our Journey Back
By Natalie B When my son was diagnosed with autism at six, I worried for his future — but with support, he thrived. He excelled in maths and science and was eager to start secondary school. Unfortunately, the transition proved overwhelming: the noise, busy corridors,...
Self-Compassion – By Emma W
It’s a pleasure to be asked to write a blog for Westmeria. I’d like to use this opportunity to talk about self-compassion. It’s something that changed my life. It certainly changed how I talk to myself and how I experience myself, and has brought me to a much easier,...
The Benefits of Eating Chocolate*!
(*good quality dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa) By Natalie P Approximately ten years ago, I was diagnosed with an intolerance which meant I couldn’t eat dairy including milk chocolate. I was gutted at the thought of giving up my favourite treats like...
Better Mental Health at Work for Parents: Small Shifts, Big Impact
Parenting is a deeply rewarding journey, but it also comes with real challenges—especially when you're juggling responsibilities at home and at work. From hormonal shifts and disrupted sleep to shifting priorities and tight schedules, parenthood brings changes that...
The True Value of Doing Nothing – By Marta G
Back in the day, I worked in a retail shop full-time while studying for an MSc part-time. Suffice to say, I had no life and zero time to relax. It was a very intense period of my life, and after I finished my course, I would catch myself almost panicking: ‘Hey, you’re...
My Counselling Journey by Claire G
I began my counselling journey in 2017 in which I tested the water with the introduction to counselling 10-week course through LSEC colleges. I didn’t know what to expect but knew I loved helping people and had volunteered in a mentoring capacity and thoroughly...
The Bereavement and Milestone Dates Dance – By Oli F
For every loved one lost, there is sadly, usually a day which would represent the value of that person in your own or others' lives such as Father’s Day (for people like myself) or a more generalized day in the year such as Christmas Day; but no matter the name, it...
The Myth of ‘Blue Monday’ and How to Take back the day!
Article from www.firststepsed.co.uk Mondays tend to get a bad rep, don’t they? In the same way we celebrate that ‘Friday feeling’, the Monday blues can sink in as early as Sunday as we shift back into our working week – if you don’t work weekends of course. And...
Enhancing life and mental health with new experiences, by Nicola B
In life there are many repetitive tasks, things we have no choice but to do, on repeat over and over. For example, a school run, cooking meals, going to work, etc! Some of these things I have no control over, but I can control the way I am experiencing them. When life...
Food That Impacts Mood: Nourishing Your Mind with Every Bite – Blog by Leena S
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." – Virginia Woolf Our relationship with food goes beyond simple sustenance. What we eat doesn’t just fuel our bodies but profoundly affects our minds and emotions, impacting how we feel, think,...
Moving House By Steve G
Relationship breakups, the loss of loved ones and moving house are frequently cited as some of life’s most stressful events. Moving house was the time of great anxiety for me. What had been the home for my children and me for a number of years was up in the air. The...
Music to my ears by Natasha W
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein Music has always played a major role in my life going back to my earliest memories. My mother taught...
Gratitude for New Beginnings by Christina H
Change is hard, exciting, sometimes scary, and always full of the unknown. Whether a new job, school year or a whole new chapter of our life, change can overwhelm with uncertainty. When we choose the new beginning like moving to a new flat or going back to school,...
The Psychological Benefits of Volunteering and Helping Others – By Sadie G
Purpose is something we all, in one form or another, seek from life. Maybe someone’s purpose is their family, friends, work, being part of a team, helping others, etc. and helping others is something which brings a sense of purpose and meaning for me. There are...
5 ways to support men’s mental health and raise awareness
While many strides have been made in serious mental health conversations, one crucial aspect remains inadequately addressed: men’s mental well-being. The prevailing societal narrative surrounding masculinity often inhibits men from acknowledging and confronting their...
A LITTLE BIT OF AWE… THE PERFECT PICK-ME-UP- By Victoria K
It was one of those days. And not the good type. I was walking my dog in our local park with my shoulders hunched and my inner critic at full volume. As I entered a thicket of trees I looked up. It was deep dusk, and the branches had formed a ring around an open patch...
People Pleasing & Self-Care – By Kirsty E
For a long period of my life, I defined self-care as selfish, also recognising that I was, still am, a people pleaser. I wonder what your initial thoughts and feelings were when reading the term ‘people pleaser’? I am curious because I believe language is extremely...