Alice Ayres Sitting on the Tube with a relatively new friend, I suddenly found myself feeling awkward in the middle of an anecdote. “And on a Thursday evening, I…I…” I cast a sideways glance at him. How would he react? Could I trust him not to judge me negatively? In the heat of the moment,…
Alice Ayres reflects on her first session with her therapist. How did I feel back then? When I’m looking back at a difficult period of my life from a position of relative stability, I tend to minimise how bad things really felt for me back then. I think this is a fairly common thing. I…
An introduction Hello. I’m Alice Ayres. Up until now on this blog, it’s always been the therapists speaking. This is the first of a series of blog posts in which I will be presenting a view from the other chair, the view of the client. I hope it will be useful to those considering or…
Overthinking and overdoing can lead us to feeling stressed and anxious, disrupt our sleep and even lead to depression. We have previously written about the role of psychotherapy in emotional regulation. However, we all need a daily practice with simple steps to quieten the mind and feel more present with ourselves and others. If you…
Two of the most frequent questions we get asked is are there any differences between counselling and psychotherapy and which do I need? Well, one way of thinking about the difference is that counselling is more about having someone walk alongside you during a difficult time. Sometimes this is all that’s needed – someone who…
Counsellors and psychotherapists can be very good at suggesting to clients to start to develop compassion for themselves, stop destructive behaviours and to learn to self-care. This is, after all, part of their job. However, how high a priority is their own self-care? How can clients assess whether their therapist is able to appropriately self-care…
Recently I read a piece in a newspaper on how the numbers of women being caught driving whilst over the legal limit of blood alcohol has doubled over the past 15 years. The article went on to say that 17% of female motorists believed that they may have driven whilst over the limit in the…
Addiction is most commonly associated with becoming reliant of a substance, such as alcohol or drugs, however behavioural addictions have more recently become recognised not only as genuine mental health disorders but as equally responsible as substance addictions for mental and emotional suffering. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the ‘bible’ on…
A Good Year for Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy As we approach the end of another busy year it is time to look back at both the achievements and challenges of 2013. This has been our practice’s first year and a fruitful one so far. I attribute this to a close partnership of dedicated therapists who have…
We are very excited to be moving to our new practice on The Drive in Hove. Both the building and location are superb and the rooms have been newly renovated to a high standard. We would like to welcome both clients and practitioners to our new consulting rooms. I hope you will love it as…
Dreams are both wild and fascinating. When explored in psychotherapy it can lead to a better understanding of internal conflicts, unprocessed material and offer insight on a profound level. Anything is possible in a dream; conflicting aspects and feelings can co-exist. The sense of time and boundaries is free-flowing and completely subjective. Our conscious minds…
In the latest issue of ‘The Psychotherapist’ Dr Geoff Warburton interviews Dr Harville Hendrix, co-founder of Imago relationship therapy and author of “Getting the Love you Want”. In the interview, Warburton asks Hendrix about his definition of love. Interestingly, the topic turns to anxiety. According to Hendrix, love is a sense of safety and connection,…