I was quoted in an article that appeared in the Independent (attached, by clicking on the image) about grief, and specifically the death of a work colleague. This story followed the news that Stephen Colbert, the Late Show host on CBS in the USA, was mourning the loss during a show of his long-time colleague Amy Cole, that had worked for him for 16 years, who had died a few days earlier at the age of 53. The show ended with a black title card dedicating the episode “to our dear friend”. The death of a work colleague can be different to the death of a loved one in your personal life, or family ..read more

I was quoted in the news section (see attached) in the current edition of The New Psychotherapist, UKCP’s members magazine. The magazine is published three times a year, and aims to spotlight the benefits of psychotherapy and how it can transform lives by unlocking potential. The stated aim of the magazine is to show psychotherapy ‘in action in the real world’ and the challenges facing the profession today. The quote picked up on comments I gave to the Financial Times (FT), about a University of Cambridge study that sought to demonstrate that the suppression of negative thoughts might have po ..read more

Today I chatted with counsellor Tricia Ibe, about the topic of affairs and specifically about being the other woman in an affair (with a married man) who is single, which can be the other side of infidelity as it tends to have less focus, and perhaps much less sympathy than the betrayed wife. Her article on this subject was published on the counsellors member directory site Counselling Directory In the interview (see the link posted above) we discussed the nature of affairs, ethical non-monogamy (and unethical too, for that matter), the stigma and motives for affairs, the various attachment s ..read more

Why are there so many approaches and new theories that proliferate in the world of counselling and psychotherapy? There are over 500 different types of psychotherapy in existence. Yes, that’s 500, not 5, or even 50. In addition, when you look at the adverts for continuing professional development (cpd) courses there is a whole host of new seemingly ‘sexy’ themes in course content such as trauma informed, neuroscience informed, parts based plurality, embodiment this and that, mindfulness approaches, somatic connecting and so on. All of these potentially exciting new approaches can be intent on ..read more

I was quoted in the news section (see attached) in the current edition of The New Psychotherapist, UKCP’s members magazine. The magazine is published three times a year, and aims to spotlight the benefits of psychotherapy and how it can transform lives by unlocking potential. The stated aim of the magazine is to show psychotherapy ‘in action in the real world’ and the challenges facing the profession today. The quote picked up on comments I gave to the Financial Times (FT), about a University of Cambridge study that sought to demonstrate that the suppression of negative thoughts might have po ..read more

Today I chatted with counsellor Tricia Ibe, about the topic of affairs and specifically about being the other woman in an affair (with a married man) who is single, which can be the other side of infidelity as it tends to have less focus, and perhaps much less sympathy than the betrayed wife. Her article on this subject was published on the counsellors member directory site Counselling Directory In the interview (see the link posted above) we discussed the nature of affairs, ethical non-monogamy (and unethical too, for that matter), the stigma and motives for affairs, the various attachment s ..read more

Have you been watching Netflix’s new game show adaptation of the hit Korean dystopian drama? Apparently it has been breaking all records in every Netflix region. I am usually someone who avoids such annoying publicity seeking self obsessed contestants on television screens but this one caught my attention. Yes, the irritating repeated exclaims of “oh wow”, even “wowwwww” and “oh my god” are ever present from the mouths of the self conscious contestants in front of the cameras and that is enough to actually switch off. However, there was something more intriguing that kept me watching. It was i ..read more

Now that we have passed Black Friday, we are increasingly being bombarded by shopping adverts about even more special shopping windows, including for Christmas. This period is when retailers make a sizable proportion of their yearly profits and there are numerous subconscious consumer decision-making processes that companies seek to exploit when we are shopping. In some respects, it is not surprising that we struggle with such powerful cues to spend and to consume. If this represents a difficult time, it could be time to assess your shopping behaviour and uncover what is going on in your life ..read more

If you have suffered a delirious episode you may have a lot of unanswered questions concerning what exactly happened, how it happened and whether it could happen again. Hopefully your doctor or psychiatrist will have helped with providing some of the detail and clarity on these questions. But there may be lingering concerns about your vulnerability to triggers in the future. The following information may help to address some of those concerns. It is advisable to consult with a medically qualified doctor if you are unsure about whether you have experienced an episode of delirium or are wor ..read more

Sometimes psychotherapy can be an easy target in wider society, and even in medical circles, when people believe we can be far too introspective and self-indulgent about sharing with others about what happened to us in our earlier life. Critics of psychotherapy claim that people like Prince Harry, for example, should get over their past hurts and not keep going over and over their past wounds ad-infinitum.  People should keep a stiff upper lip, and display fortitude and stoicism in the face of adversity, and should practice self-restraint in the expression of emotion. These critics will p ..read more