Welcome to Anna's Blog

How to manage intense emotions 1. Recognise that your brain has been temporarily hijacked If we think about our brain as if it were a computer, our brain goes offline when we experience difficult and intense emotions like anger, fear or shame. Our...

Children learn self-regulation gradually and through many sources and strategies. One key source is, of course, through imitation of the adult role models in their lives. Therefore, by modelling these strategies is absolutely vital both for your children...

Play is the way in which children learn and develop understand the world around them, and express their feelings. It is how they communicate. Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, it connects us to people in a positive way, stimulates creative...

Anxiety is very common in children, and there can be a whole range of reasons why.   Statistics currently provided by (Mentalhealth.org) are that between 8-11% of children and adolescents struggle with anxiety which impacts on their quality of life.  As parents, we...

Cravings are a natural by-product of drug/alcohol use or whatever your drug of choice may be.  They can be experienced by anyone, at anytime, anywhere and frequently years after using stops.  Remember the smell of a freshly lit cigarette? A joint being smoked on the...

Self-harm is not a new, however, it does seem to be becoming a more widespread topic of conversation within my field of work and in general. Social media also plays a role in its expansion. What is the truth about self-harm? Why, when a person is already in emotional...

Life can simply be really, really tough sometimes, not that you need me to tell you that I’m sure.   If you’re experiencing tough times yourself, this post is meant simply to provide you with a boost of spirit-strengthening, uplifting and emotionally supporting...

  Although the way grief is experienced is as individual as we are, there can be some differences felt when someone has died by suicide. To lose someone in this way is confusing, complicated and tragic. A death by suicide is usually unexpected, often sudden and quite...

  Resilience, I wrote about this in a previous post and its connection to adults. Now, I have started to think about how we can support its development in children.  Resilience is described as being able to bounce back from stress, challenge, trauma or adversity. To...

Life can often feel stressful, demands are placed upon us and this can feel heavy and overwhelming at times.  Many of us need to wear a variety of hats throughout the day, and flitting between roles can soon take its toll.  So, it’s understandable that stress is a...

  Resilience..........Why do some people bounce back from adversity and misfortune?  Why do others seem to struggle more?   Resilience can be defined as our ability to bounce back from and cope in the face of adversity. If we are resilient, we are more able to cope...

Grief is an individual process, there is not a specific set of strategies to follow that will help everyone. What I have noticed through my work and personal experience is that we all find our way through by coping in a various of ways. In order to heal, we have to...

Most of us have heard of the phrase ‘winter blues” particularly at this time of year. It may manifest as an increased sense of anxiety about the end of the year and the upcoming holidays — whether that’s because of the challenges of managing family life or separation...

How can we support children in grief? Explaining that a loved one has died to a child is a very difficult and upsetting task.   As a parent or loved one you will want to support them with their pain and loss.   It can be difficult to know how much information to...

Men need and benefit from self-care as much women do.  When committed to, it builds upon and creates a more positive relationship that you have with yourself.  It is vital for stress and mood management.  Knowing how to take care of yourself is a lifelong task.  It...

How does Therapy work?   I am often asked by clients,   What will happen in a session?   How many times will I need to come?   How much does it cost?   In truth, the answer is that it depends……..   As a Humanistic therapist, I believe that the single most crucial...

If you have PTSD, you may be struggling to cope with flashbacks and dissociation.  Flashbacks are one of the re-experiencing symptoms of PTSD.  During a flashback, a person may feel or act as though a traumatic event is happening again. These happen as a result...

PTSD It’s to be expected to feel anxious and disconnected from life if you have experienced something traumatic. If you are struggling with symptoms and have been for more than a month it is possible that you are suffering with Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)....