I first discovered art therapy 20 years ago, as a client in rehab. In very early recovery from addiction, I felt like my life was in ruins, and I had little hope for the future. The weekly art therapy sessions, however, felt like a lifeline. There was something extraordinarily empowering about creat...
The idea of a guide, mentor, or coach is as old as storytelling itself. From the wise figures of mythology, to Joseph Campbell’sHero’s Journey, to Tarkovsky’sStalker, humanity has always looked to figures who help others navigate uncertainty, confront inner struggles, and discover purpose. These arc...
This September, as we markSuicide Prevention Awareness Month, we’re reminded of something really important: none of us are alone in our struggles. Each conversation, each check-in, each moment of kindness has the power to bring someone back from the edge and remind them that life is still worth livi...
As someone who communicates for a living, I should have a clear answer, a quick, compelling soundbite that captures what it really does. But I don’t.
“Once upon a time a girl sat curled up in a chair reading a book about a circus. She was oblivious to her surroundings, all senses focused on the words. Her eyes hungrily reading, and seeing the bright colours, her ears hearing the sounds of excited cries, tasting the candyfloss and smelling the die...
It’s amazing what you can have delivered these days. One evening last month, I ordered a chicken katsu curry and my dad’s death certificate.
The echoes of my father surround me, not intrusively and not permanently, but in the way I can tell a piece of silver which is Georgian with its simpler and elegant forms from an even simpler Queen Anne style. When I see an unfilleted trout I know how to gut and scale it, even better if I could smok...
Cut all music out of your days, remove all music from your experience. Everything. Take away the Beethoven to the Einaudi that you find under an advert, to the smattering of quiet elevator scenes to the apocalyptic Jazz from basements. Take away the strings behind the Hollywood films, the heartrendi...
The biggest and best things for mental health are to eat food and drink water. Whether it is the client who misses breakfast because she is always rushing to work, or the client missing out on parts of her lunch because she is following some kind of diet rules, if you are not eating regularly and en...
Conversations get had repeatedly about the importance of lived experience. Many individuals I have spoken with produce this as a qualification within their work as a coach as a piece of paramount importance. It truly is important; I believe it to be one of the core tenets underneath the coaching rol...
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13–19th May) invites us to explore the theme of Community. How we build it, how we nurture it, and how it supports mental wellbeing. Having recently co-facilitated a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) group, the theme couldn’t feel more relevant or timely.
At our behavioral health clinic, located in the serene and leafy area of Holland Park, we understand the powerful connection between nature and well-being. We’ve always believed that creating a calm, welcoming, and fresh environment can make a world of difference for both our staff and clients. That...
