The Therapist Diaries

Hello and Welcome Back to The Therapist Diaries,  Today we're hitting a taboo topic... and I know I'm probably going to get some stick for writing it, but it's something that's been coming up a lot recently, and I think it's relatable for a lot of us. So, taboo or not, today we're talking about how much it genuinely sucks when everyone else is having their moment, and you're the one still on the path towards yours. Generally speaking, we’re taught to celebrate the people we love, to clap for their milestones, to smile at engagement photos, baby announcements, house purchases, promotions and all the beautiful moments life brings them. And often, we genuinely are happy for them. Deeply happy. But sometimes, underneath that happiness, there’s another feeling quietly sitting there too. Grief. Jealousy. Loneliness. Frustration. Even resentment. And honestly, that combination can feel incredibly shameful. There’s a strange emotional conflict that happens when your...

Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries,  Today was an emotionally fatiguing day for me. I am so incredibly privileged that my job allows me to travel between the UK and the USA, and that I have friends and family waiting for me on both sides of the pond. Today it was time to fly back to the USA after spending an amazing three weeks in my homeland for Christmas. I have some great things coming up in the US and I cannot wait to see my parents… but still, getting on that flight and saying goodbye to my loved ones was hard!  So, how do we motivate ourselves to do the things in life that we just do not want to do?  I’m a philosophically hedonistic person. I truly believe that we were put on this Earth to find our passions and experience everything we possibly can. More often than not, for me, this results in me following my heart and doing whatever option pleases me best in the moment. There’s nothing wrong with living life this way, but it can’t be our attitude in ev...

  Hello and Welcome Back to the Therapist Diaries,  Continuing on with our lessons from  Married at First Sight blog series, today we’re going to look at communication among the couples and the lessons we can learn from them about respecting others. If you’ve ever watched Married at First Sight, you know it’s both a fascinating social experiment and an emotional whirlwind. Two strangers meet for the first time at the altar, promise to build a life together, and then face all the joys and growing pains of marriage under the watchful eye of the cameras. As a therapist, I can’t help but watch through the lens of human connection. What unfolds on screen often mirrors what happens in couples therapy, the delicate dance of how couples talk, listen, and handle conflict. Beneath all the drama, the show reminds us that communication really is the glue that holds relationships together. One of the biggest lessons MAFS offers is that talking isn’t the same thing as communicating. Ma...

 Hello and welcome back to the Therapist Diaries,  In the last post we were discussing the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder- a depressive disorder that often impacts people most during the winter months. Today, I thought we’d go a step forward and talk about some real life, practical things we can do if someone we know is struggling with depression or generalized negative thoughts, no matter what time of year. Firstly, how do you recognize depressive symptoms if your loved one doesn’t tell you anything? Remember, even if you create a safe environment for people to share their struggles with you, no one is required to tell you anything about their mental health, that doesn’t mean you have to read minds to be helpful. Sometimes, the people we love the most are struggling quietly, without ever saying a word.  When depression creeps in, it can make even the simplest moments feel heavy, distant, and unfamiliar, it's important to know that depression  doesn’t alwa...

Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries,  Today I wanted to talk about F33.9 , more commonly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) . The seasons have shifted firmly from summer to autumn, and winter is just around the corner. While many people welcome this time of year with open arms for their love of pumpkin spice, cozy blankets, and holiday traditions, it’s also a time when many others begin to notice a subtle (or not-so-subtle) shift within themselves. As the days grow shorter and the air turns colder, it's common to feel changes not just in our environment, but in our mood, energy, and motivation. For some, this seasonal transition brings more than just a passing “winter slump.” It can trigger a very real and diagnosable condition: Seasonal Affective Disorder . SAD is a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, most commonly showing up in late fall or early winter and easing up in the spring and summer. While it might sound like it’s “just the winter blue...

  Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries,  In today’s wellness-focused world, it can be hard to keep track of all the different types of support available. Therapy, life coaching, mental health coaching, sure they all sound helpful, but what exactly sets them apart? Understanding the difference between mental health coaching and therapy is important, especially if you’re looking for the kind of support that best fits your current needs and goals. While both are rooted in a desire to help people live more fulfilling lives, they serve very different purposes and follow different approaches. Therapy , also known as counseling or psychotherapy, is a clinical service provided by licensed professionals such as LCSWs (In the USA), psychologists, or psychiatrists. It is grounded in evidence-based practices (which means it's tried and tested) and is designed to help people work through emotional pain, mental health diagnoses, and patterns that may stem from past experiences or...

 Hello and Welcome Back to The Therapist Diaries,  There's been a lot going on in my life recently. One of my coping skills is journaling but I'm quickly working my way through the pages, and I think my boyfriend feels as though I've been forcing him to read a novel with the amount of chapter length texts that I've been sending him recently. It's brought about a lot of thinking on the topic of support teams and the importance of them. Not a support group that you attend once a week, but a personalized group of people that know what you're going through and can help you when you need it. For the NASCAR fans among us, it's like an emotional pit crew.  A lot of us don't think we're allowed a support team. There's a misconception that they're reserved for "crisis situations” or people who’ve hit absolute rock bottom, but in reality, it’s something we all need. Not because we’re weak, but because we’re human and humans are social beings whos...

 Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries,  In the last post, we talked about the importance of having a safety plan, a personalized, practical roadmap for what to do when things feel overwhelming. One of the key parts of any safety plan is identifying people you can reach out to when you're struggling. It sounds easy enough but actually reaching out? That can be one of the hardest steps of all. Knowing who to talk to is one thing. Figuring out how to talk to them is quite another.  So today, we’re diving into that space between intention and action, the emotional weight of opening up about your mental health, the fear of how others will respond, and how to start conversations that feel daunting, but necessary. Whether you're someone working up the courage to talk about your struggles, or a loved one wondering how to respond with care, this post is for you. There’s a moment that many of us who’ve struggled with mental health know all too well, when the silence be...

Hello and Welcome Back to The Therapist Diaries,  As a Crisis Intervention Clinician and Truma Therapist, one of the most meaningful tools I’ve worked on with clients has been the safety plan. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and while awareness campaigns often focus on important statistics and slogans, what I’ve found most impactful in real lives are the small, tangible steps we can take when the world feels too heavy. A safety plan is one of those steps. When I talk about safety plans, I describe them as a kind of personal roadmap. It’s something you create in your own words, for your own life, to guide you through moments of crisis. Because when our emotions are dysregulated and suicidal thoughts show up, clarity often disappears. Memory gets foggy, hope feels far away, and even the simplest choices can feel impossible. A safety plan removes the pressure of having to figure it all out in the middle of that storm. I’ve sat with people who tell me, “I’ll just remember what t...

  Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries!   September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time when we are collectively reminded of something that should never leave our hearts: every life matters, every story is still unfolding, and every person deserves the chance to keep writing their journey. This month can feel heavy. It brings awareness to a topic many of us find difficult to sit with, let alone talk about. Suicide is one of the most complex human struggles, it can carry layers of mental health challenges, trauma, societal pressures, isolation, grief, and silence. Yet, at its very core, suicide prevention is about hope. It’s about remembering that no matter how many painful chapters you have endured, your story is not finished. As a therapist, I have seen how powerful it can be when people begin to believe their narrative is worth continuing, even if right now it feels full of hardship. Healing rarely looks like erasing the past or pretending the pain didn’...