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Welcome to our Blog page where we will endeavour to demystify the counselling process.

We will also use this resource to share information, ideas and thoughts around the subject of mental health and wellbeing and we hope you find it useful and informative.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a very common problem experienced by different people in different ways. Anxiety is a natural emotion, but it becomes a problem when it becomes difficult to control or manage. If you feel that your anxiety is starting to get out of control or is causing problems in your life, it may be time to seek help from a professional. At The Grove Counselling & Psychotherapy Practice, our experienced and qualified team have a wealth of experience in helping clients to identify the source of their anxieties and to find ways to manage and overcome them.

Addiction

At The Grove Counselling & Psychotherapy Practice, our team have helped a wide range of clients with a variety of addiction issues. People can become addicted to drugs and alcohol, but also to gambling or other behaviours that can become destructive when pursued to excess. If you feel you have developed a habit for something that is making your life difficult or causing relationship problems between you and those close to you, then it’s a good idea to find professional support in order to deal with these issues and begin to find ways out of destructive or dysfunctional behaviours.

IS EMDR THE RIGHT THERAPY FOR ME?

We thought it might be helpful to give you a little more information on EMDR to help you decide whether it might be useful for you. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an approach that can be helpful in working with a wide range of mental health issues and with post-traumatic stress in particular. EMDR can help people to recover from distressing life events and the problems they have caused, for example, flashbacks, upsetting thoughts or images, depression or anxiety. EMDR is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), which also recognises it as an effective treatment for adults and children. When using EMDR, there is a preparation stage where the therapist and the client will prepare for the work together and a processing stage where bilateral stimulation is used to help process disturbing memories, thoughts and feelings.

Bilateral stimulation refers to sensory stimuli, such as sounds, tapping, and eye movement, that activate both sides of the brain. This can soothe and calm the client's nervous system, enhancing the client's access to positive images, thoughts, emotions and body sensations. During a therapy session, your therapist may instruct the client to use their eyes to follow her fingers, and a client may be instructed to pat their own shoulders or knees with their hands, alternating between their left and right sides while following your therapist's pace. Bilateral stimulation can provide a new tool for people to process and recover from traumatic events. Here, the client practices how to regulate their own body, and in this way can be enabled to gain distance from and changes their perspective on the original trauma. Bilateral stimulation in EMDR therapy can help clients alleviate distressing emotional and physiological symptoms. The number of sessions needed will depend on the type and severity of trauma which has been experienced.

Please get in touch with The Grove Therapy or our EMDR therapist Bo Bloomfield if you would like further information.

What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a type of ‘talking therapy’, that combines the use of psychotherapy with hypnosis. Hypnosis or ‘trance’ is a very natural, relaxing state, encouraged by using guided relaxation, where the mind can relax and then focus on thoughts and suggestions that might be useful. As a modern psychotherapeutic approach, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy uses practical, structured, and well-researched strategies to help people make significant, positive changes in their lives in a relatively short period of time. Crucially, in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, therapists look at what the client wants to achieve (the solution) rather than at whatever prompted them to seek help (the problem).

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
By Gina Zywicki

Social media can often lead to feelings of inadequacy as we compare ourselves to seemingly perfect online personas. While it's normal to wonder where we fit in, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) takes this concern to an extreme. People with BDD become overly preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance, often convinced that these imperfections are obvious to others.

This preoccupation can lead to social avoidance, excessive self-checking, and even seeking out cosmetic procedures that rarely provide lasting relief. Unlike vanity, which implies excessive pride, BDD is characterized by extreme shame and self-doubt. It's often accompanied by depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. Recognizing the signs of BDD is crucial, as seeking professional help can significantly improve quality of life.

Signs of BDD:

A. Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others.

B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the individual has performed repetitive behaviors (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing his or her appearance with that of others) in response to the appearance concerns.

C. The preoccupation causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

If you have all three symptoms you may have BDD and could find it useful to talk to a mental health professional.

The Emotional Experience of Becoming a New Parent
By Sarah Naylor

Having a baby is a huge life event and with that comes a wide range of emotions, ranging from excitement and happiness to anxiety or low mood.

When we see pictures of new parents with their baby in the media, there appears to be an image of peace, calm, happiness, and excitement. It is therefore easy to think that this is the life all new parents are living. We may think that if we are not meeting these high expectations, then we are ‘not being a good parent’ or ‘are failing’. The reality is that becoming a parent is a hugely emotional experience and that many people experience emotional difficulties during this time.

It may feel hard to talk about how you are feeling for fear of being judged, but these feelings are not your fault and can be caused by many things such as hormonal changes, lack of sleep, life stresses, previous mental health problems or difficult memories or trauma in your own younger years.

The baby blues is something that lots of women feel in the first week following birth. It is thought to be due to the sudden hormone and chemical changes that occur in the body. Signs include feeling emotional, crying for no apparent reason, low mood, anxiety, feeling restless, irritable or unable to settle. These symptoms are very normal and usually last for a few days.

Sometimes these symptoms continue or may occur at any point in the first year after giving birth. They may be accompanied by additional emotional signs such as no enjoyment or interest in anything, feeling very anxious about your baby, difficulty in concentrating and feeling hopeless. There may also be physical signs such as being unable to sleep, extreme tiredness or loss of appetite. If they do persist then these could be signs of postnatal depression. 10% of women who have given birth experience postnatal depression. Although it can feel overwhelming and lonely, do reach out to people around you for support and also seek early professional support from the GP and your Health Visitor. Counselling is also known to be of benefit.

If you are a new parent (mum or dad) and recognise some of these signs, or if parenting just feels unsettling, then do get in touch to explore and access support. You are not alone and early intervention helps to prevent symptoms from worsening.

"Wading through the fog" - Menopause and psychological distress

By Julie Cameron

Over 13 million women are experiencing the menopause transition in the UK. (DHS 2022). Experiencing physical and psychological symptoms, women have reported not feeling heard or supported by the medical profession.

Advice, diagnosis, and accurate information about treatment options can be difficult and can feel like a postcode lottery. Anxiety, depression, and fear of change can be some of the psychological issues that women struggle with during this time. Many women have reported feeling unable to talk to anyone; family and friends don't always understand and for many the subject could still be 'taboo' or difficult to discuss.

How can therapy help?

The menopause can be a time of psychological distress and talking therapy can help women explore their emotions at this time of change. The menopause transition can, for some women, last 10-12 years. As well as this passing of time and hormone changes, this can come at a time of lifestyle changes, such as children leaving home, elderly parents needing support and many women are balancing their menopause alongside work and family life which can be challenging. This can leave some women feeling confused, distressed, and having lost some of their confidence or identity.

Finding the right medical help is important, but what happens when women feel that these changes are impacting their lives in other ways?

Feeling heard, validated, and understood can make a difference.

Talking to a trained therapist can help make sense of this, providing you with a safe space to explore your feelings as you move into this life transition. Sometimes the emotional aspects of the menopause go unseen but can be extremely damaging, eroding away confidence, and happiness and putting a strain on yourself and relationships, you don’t have to face this alone.

Julie offers integrative therapy which can support you during this time working with you to help you find yourself again and look to a more positive future.