Therapy Insights
Watch this space for some key therapy insights from Rachel at Ra Counselling
Understanding Your Inner World: Internal Family Systems, Parts, Protection, and the Compassionate Conductor
Many of us grow up believing there is something “wrong” with us when we feel anxious, self-critical, reactive, or overwhelmed. But what if nothing is wrong? What if your mind is simply made up of different parts — all trying to help in their own way? This is one of...
When Your Mind Won’t Let Go
A gentle guide for when you feel stuck in pain, rumination, or self-criticism Sometimes our minds get caught in painful loops. Thinking about the past and wishing things had been different Imagining futures that feel lonely, uncertain, or overwhelming Criticising...
How to Connect with our Soothing System
Connecting With Your Compassionate Inner Self In Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), the soothing system is the part of us that allows calm, safety, and connection to arise. When this system is active, our nervous system settles, our inner dialogue softens, and we are...
Our Three Emotional States – Which One is Driving You?
I am really drawn to a model of therapy called Compassion-Focused Therapy in my work as an Integrative Psychotherapist, as it really captures ideas and concepts that have been most effective for me over the years. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), developed by...
Find the glimmers and the rays! What can I do when I feel anxious and low?
It’s such a horrible feeling when sadness, numbness, anxiety, or heaviness settles in. When this happens, your body shifts into its threat system—fight, flight, or freeze—which makes it incredibly hard to think your way out of the moment. You may feel stuck, sluggish,...
Living with AuDHD: Understanding Life with Both Autism and ADHD
You may have heard the term “AuDHD” cropping up online and in support groups. It’s a shorthand way of saying someone is autistic and has ADHD. Because autism and ADHD so often overlap with so many of my clients, it’s only in recent years that professionals have...