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.
Asking For Help: The First Step
Getting help and support can often be the first step towards getting and staying well. It’s not always easy, especially when you are feeling low. It is important to remember that you are not alone and that you deserve support. Reasons that you might want to get help: ...
The importance of dream work in therapy by Alex Weir, Integrative Counsellor (MBACP)
For as long as I can remember I have always had very vivid dreams. Some nights as a child, I’d long for sleep so that I could return to a favourite dream, where I’d soar across the night sky like a bird, feeling a true sense of freedom and weightlessness. Other times...
Anxiety – What small changes in our lifestyle could help us to feel less anxious?
I would like to share some tips that might help you to reduce anxiety or in other words, some lifestyle changes that I and others have found helpful. Exercise: Any kind of movement you can find closer to your heart! Dancing (for example, ballet class for...
Addiction and Recovery
Addiction recovery is something that can be managed with specialist help and there are agencies in each Borough that can support someone. While Westmeria aren’t a specialist agency in this way, once the addiction is managed and someone is in recovery, talking therapy...
SELF CARE by Laura Minus
I asked myself what self- care means to me? Without long reflection, I came up with primary needs and necessity. It would not have been the same answer 20 years ago as I have learnt it after having some setbacks that required to put myself first. Now I feel that I am...
First Port of Call
When I was first asked to write about my job, I thought how exciting it was being able to let people know what my job entailed. As an admin manager no day is ever the same, from busy telephones ringing to running a college. The office buzzes with counsellors asking...
Grief at Christmas
Christmas is seemingly a happy time. A time when friends and family gather together and Christmas day is shared with our nearest and dearest. The lead up to Christmas brings competition for the best Christmas advertising campaign, Christmas songs ring out in the shops...
Oxytocin and Well-being
Westmeria Counsellor Sheena Rose, teaches an array of wellbeing practices including Mindfulness and Reiki. Here she explains Oxytocin and the simple exercises and actions we can take to increase our levels of Oxytocin and general wellbeing. Love, hugs and Kindness ...
World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health day is a wonderful point to consider our own unique mental health and for me, writing for this blog is part of good mental health; I love writing, I love processing my thoughts and I like to connect to others. This is the dilemma with mental...
Suicide Awareness
Have you ever had a thought of “I wish I couldn’t wake up? I can’t face it anymore!”. I had, but it was a temporary feeling of low mood with no intension to end my life. I consider myself the lucky one who was able to share my thoughts about difficulties of certain...
The Benefits of Swimming
By Ashley Ward For the past nine years I have been working as a swimming instructor – having a love of the water started from an early age – swimming in the sea, jumping the waves, donning a snorkel and mask to see what lies beneath the surface, floating aimlessly...
What is self-care and why is it important?
The term self-care is used a lot these days, but what does it really mean? The World Health Organisation 1998 definition is: “Self-Care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to prevent and deal with illness. It is a broad concept...
Westmeria College- Training Passionate Counsellors
I had some feedback from one of my students recently regarding the CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in therapeutic counselling course she is studying on. It said: ‘Compared to my previous college I view this to be the Oxford/Cambridge equivalent of college courses and I feel...
Running and Counselling: For me they are one of the same?
2015 was the year that I learnt to run and my journey to better mental health started. The two are intricately joined and have been for the past nearly 6 years. When my youngest son went to school, I was frazzled from nearly 10 years at home with preschoolers. Those...
Mental Health and the Relevance of Sleep
Whereas quality/lack of sleep is often not viewed as a presenting problem in counselling work, it can be a contributory factor to distress and is therefore worthy of a greater understanding. Scientific research which incorporates biology, genetics and medication,...
Westmeria Mental Health Awareness Workshop
For nearly 20 years, Westmeria Counselling Service has worked with members of our local community and Primary Care Trust to support their mental health and wellbeing. Our counselling service has been vital in assisting clients make the most of their potential, help...
A Christmas Pause: Change the state to change the story
Despite what M&S, John Lewis or Aldi would have us believe about Christmas, for many people, Christmas is a time of stress – a time when we may feel under pressure and depleted emotionally, physically, relationally and financially. Often other people’s Christmas...
London Virtual Marathon 2020
On Sunday 4th October, we were incredibly lucky to have Matt running the Virgin London Virtual Marathon in aid of Westmeria. Like many charities, the London marathon is a huge event in our fundraising calendar, so in the wake of the pandemic, this year has been very...
Suicide Prevention Month
In honour of September being Suicide Prevention Month, we at Westmeria wanted to take the opportunity to explore how to best support yourself, or anyone you know who may be struggling. Firstly, it’s important to understand you are not alone in experiencing these...
Westmeria Celebrates 6 Years of Counselling Training!
We are very proud to have just completed our 6th year of delivering counselling training… and what a year it has been. Despite the challenging and uncertain times of recent months, we are very proud to have kept our training courses going, which has been no small...