Peaks Counselling

AI therapy anyone? This article offers hope and scares me in equal measure.

The big issue: Ready or not... AI is here Open article: We ignore the advances in AI at our peril, says Matthias Barker, who invested thousands creating an AI therapy bot – then destroyed it. Therapy Today, May 2024

When music is therapy and therapy is music ....

Vocal Coach Hears Jacob Collier For The First Time Thank you Jacob, for this experience you've given me. I needed this.Ready to take your voice to the next level? Always wanted to try lessons but didn't know ...

This is a fascinating article that raises many interesting questions about the assessment of neurodivergence. If you are interested in, identify as, or are assessed as neurodivergent, it's worth reading.

The Guardian: The sudden rise of AuDHD: what is behind the rocketing rates of this life-changing diagnosis? - ADHD UK ADHD UK provided background information to the article.

A few words that came to mind recently - one of those moments when being creative helped me try and encapsulate a thought!

Listening In the depths of a soul, unspoken pain resides,

BACP recently engaged with AI Art to represent what anxiety is! Take a look at the page - some stunning visual representations of anxiety.

Anxiety is Our Anxiety is... campaign uses AI images to illustrate the symptoms of anxiety and aims to help you find a trained professional who can give you support

Well said.

How Some People Can Stay Sharp Even After Turning 95 The benefits of strong synchronization between the two halves of the brain.

https://www.awarenessinaction.org/how-to-practice-some-compassion-mind-training-techniques/?fbclid=IwAR0kCHsx7OeiKOrDeID31nXrfHnZS0-pWN7fqFsQztZ_Xgr_H89O2XzdRdI

How to practice some Compassion Mind Training Techniques - Awareness in Action In order to benefit from Compassionate Mind Training we need to practice the recommended techniques. This post gives helpful guidance on how to do that.

I feel blessed some days. Mindfulness mid-week - what a place to offer walk and talk! There’s therapy just being here.

What a poignant use of nature imagery. Beautiful sentiment Johnny Vegas!

Johnny Vegas on Twitter “So the tide came in and said "Hey soft lad, give us all those worries over everything and nothing and I'll take 'em back out with me" As ever, thank you Crosby ❤ Its been a busy day for a big daft busy head but all grand now x”

I started to watch Stutz on Netflix last night. There are so many parallels with the ideas of "Compassion Focussed Therapy", and on twitter. It's not specifically aimed at , and could equally apply across all genders and age groups - definitely worth a watch if you listen to those critical voices in your head too much! A lovely, sensitive and sometimes humorous look at therapy.

Watch Stutz | Netflix Official Site In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz explores his early life experiences and unique, visual model of therapy.

WE DONE IT!!! This years BACP resolution passed!

Thank you so much to everyone who got involved and voted for the resolution. We’ll release a full statement very soon, but in the meantime we just wanted to say thank you for getting involved, continuously showing up, and making a difference ✊🏼❤️

We are made up by this result and will be celebrating this weekend…. We hope you do too! 🙂

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

❤️😊🎉🥳🍾🎈🎊💃🏻🕺🪩🍻🥂

Those with dogs probably already suspected the same. Love my and the thought he’s looking out for me is lovely.

Dogs Really Can Tell When You're Stressed A study confirms that dogs can sniff out odors about our psychological states.

What are the barriers to men seeking help? And what can we do about this?

Our member Jeremy Sachs shares his thoughts in this blog during Men's Health Month ➡️ https://orlo.uk/tI9pg

Receiving compassion is helpful when times are tough. Having someone with helpful intention giving you compassion when you need it is one of those humanity validating moments. We know this as a giver of compassion; it feels great to give compassion to someone in the knowledge it helps.

If giving and receiving compassion is good for the giver and the receiver imagine the double whammy we could generate for ourselves if we practice self-compassion.

We find the space for self-compassion to grow when we choose self-kindness over self-criticism. By accepting that life can be tough and suffering is part of the human condition we are less inclined to feel isolated by a life conspiring against us. In finding time to notice and acknowledge those counter productive internal critical voices rather than be condemned by them, we find time to recognise and understand our suffering and develop the capacity to tolerate it.

So if you are facing tough times, and your self esteem is being rocked, it is likely that your internal critic is in overdrive; weighing you down when you already feel isolated by your situation. Rather than looking to build your self-esteem, a very western centric idea and the target of most self-help gurus, perhaps choose to build mindful self-compassion instead. You might then be addressing the issue at the root, not a symptom of it.

It’s moments like reading this that reminds me why I chose to work with talking therapy. I may have just wiped away a tear - powerful stuff.

This starts my 22nd year of teaching middle school. Yesterday was quite possibly one of the most impactful days I have ever had.

I tried a new activity called “The Baggage Activity”. I asked the kids what it meant to have baggage and they mostly said it was hurtful stuff you carry around on your shoulders.

I asked them to write down on a piece of paper what was bothering them, what was heavy on their heart, what was hurting them, etc. No names were to be on a paper. They wadded the paper up, and threw it across the room.

They picked up a piece of paper and took turns reading out loud what their classmate wrote. After a student read a paper, I asked who wrote that, and if they cared to share.

I’m here to tell you, I have never been so moved to tears as what these kids opened up and about and shared with the class.

Things like su***de, parents in prison, drugs in their family, being left by their parents, death, cancer, losing pets (one said their gerbil died cause it was fat, we giggled😁) and on and on.

The kids who read the papers would cry because what they were reading was tough. The person who shared (if they chose to tell us it was them) would cry sometimes too. It was an emotionally draining day, but I firmly believe my kids will judge a little less, love a little more, and forgive a little faster.

This bag hangs by my door to remind them that we all have baggage. We will leave it at the door. As they left I told them, they are not alone, they are loved, and we have each other’s back.

I am honored to be their teacher.

Credit: Karen Wunderlich Loewe

Loneliness is a surprisingly wide spread mental health issue that prevails in a time when we are able to connect with others in so many ways. In this blog we look at some common misunderstandings around loneliness and perhaps why those that are lonely find it difficult to reach out.

Are you on your own with loneliness? I've heard it said that the irony of modern society is that the more connected we become, the likelihood of feeling alone does not diminish. It would seem that as communication technology has gathered pace and the relati...

I'm very pleased to have received a promo video produced by https://peakfable.com/ for Peaks Counselling - they have done an amazing job - thank you so much.

Take a look and let me know what you think. You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/cbHPpnFbsn0

Peaks Counselling - About Us Peaks Counselling is a private practice counselling service in the Peak District National Park. Based close to Buxton, we offer individual and couples therap...

Have you ever wondered what you are really feeling? "Put a name on it!" explores the difficulty we often have in describing what it is we feel. https://peakscounselling.co.uk/blog/f/put-a-name-on-it

Put a name on it! "How does that make you feel?". The supportive lead of most counsellors hoping to help a client find out something about themselves. It's a invite to explore what is just below the surface but not grasped. Is it any wond...

Part 2 of my blog is now live on Peaks Counselling website. I find myself asking if counselling in nature works and find lots of evidence that it does, but does it tell us why?

https://peakscounselling.co.uk/blog/f/walking-and-talking---part-2

Walking and Talking - Part 2 In my last blog post I ended by saying that I would hope to provide some evidence as to the efficacy of outdoor therapy in all its guises. I'm not sure I've succeeded. I certainly feel I have found evidence that outdoor ...

First blog post up and live.

https://peakscounselling.co.uk/blog/f/walking-and-talking---part-1

Walking and Talking - Part 1 In recent weeks, as I’ve walked with my dog I’ve found myself wondering what it is about being outdoors that is so beneficial to our mental health. Long before I started training to become a counsellor I personally exper...

It's now easier to contact Peaks Counselling.

Peaks Counselling updated their address.