Educational Idiocy
My wife and I spent over an hour last night comforting a fifteen year old who was incredibly frustrated, anxious and stressed. As you may guess from his age, the main stressor was school, and more specifically, GCSE’s. My stepson is not a shrinking violet by any stretch. He is mature beyond his years and has suffered tremendous loss in his life and yet he has grown through the experience and he continues to grow into the most wonderful, intelligent and caring person. Yet last night I saw him as he was three years ago when he was being … Read more
Moments in Time
I can’t recall the film, but I am sure I saw something once where there was a monologue that lamented about ‘moments in time’ and how things can change quickly and unexpectedly in life. It … Read more
Dr Gary Wood
Please note this was written on 19th August 2019, but I have only just had time to upload it onto here. I was not expecting to write anything this week, I am on my holibobs … Read more
Grief Goshdarn it
Grief. Had he not died in January, my Da would have been 80 yesterday. I can remember my family talking about what we would do to celebrate this milestone in his life a few years … Read more
My Parent. My Da.
Parenthood. I had avoided all forms of responsibility during my twenties and had no real interest in developing any actual important responsibility in my personal life during my thirties. After I hit thirty I had … Read more
Lack of Self Care… Beware!
Self care. The importance of this is something that is installed into the psyche of all trainee counsellors and therapists. From the first training session, we are rightly told that we must look after ourselves … Read more
Gender and the Therapeutic Experience
This blog is on a subject I have deliberately avoided in the past. The main reason for that when this subject has been discussed by me, in groups or with another therapist, I often end … Read more
Off-Rolled by the NHS
An excellent piece in the Guardian again today on one of the most insidious practices common in most NHS regions. Patient’s mental health status being manipulated so that a manager sat in an office, likely … Read more
Jeremy Kyle
So. It has finally happened. Someone who has appeared on Jeremy Kyle’s show has died, apparently as a direct result of being on the show and what happened to them whilst there. The only surprise … Read more