Long time ago now! I can’t even remember what I was writing 🤣

Maybe it isn’t about getting “there.” Maybe there isn’t a “there.” Just us… learning, unlearning, becoming. 💚 #TherapyCanBe

Maybe it isn’t about getting “there.” Maybe there isn’t a “there.” Just us… learning, unlearning, becoming. 💚 #TherapyCanBe

Be yourself quite from Oscar Wilde

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde. Maybe therapy is where we get to show up as we are, no pretending? It could be about learning to embrace ourselves, without fear. What might it look like to be unapologetically ourselves? 💚 #TherapyIs #MentalHealthAwareness

PowerPoint slide

Back in the training saddle! We’ve had two brilliant days with social work managers—laughing, learning, and exploring the risks, remedies & rewards of leading in trauma-exposed roles. Supporting the supporters matters.
#SelfCarePsychology #SocialWorkLeadership #TheFivePillarsOfProtection

The front of a packet of haribo

Okay, I admit it—I love sweets, and this personalised ‘Tangsasstic’ bag made me smile! 🍬 It got me thinking: therapy’s like this too—each session, like each flavour, is different. Embrace the uniqueness of your journey. 💚 #TherapyIs #TherapistsConnect #PersonCentred #Healing

Therapy is where I try to bring my ful self

Therapy doesn’t ask us to be fully open from day one. It offers space to notice the parts of ourselves we might have hidden—without even realising it. And when we do? That’s where the real work happens. #TherapyIs #MentalHealthMatters

Thank you for sharing ☺️

That’s kind, I’m really glad you do ☺️

Therapy is where I try to bring my full self

We don’t always realise what we hold back until we’re in a space safe enough to explore it. Therapy isn’t about rushing that process—it’s about noticing, making space, and allowing more of ourselves to show up in time. #TherapyIs #Authenticity #therapistsconnect

Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously

"Boundaries with ourselves, those we support, and our colleagues aren’t selfish. They make care sustainable." #CompassionFatigue #HelpingProfessionals #Boundaries

A bowl of potatoes

Left in the dark, a potato will still grow
towards the tiniest of light. Rogers saw this as a perfect metaphor for how humans move towards growth, no matter the circumstances. #KeepingRogersRelevant

Vicarious trauma definitions

💡 Vicarious trauma isn’t a personal failing. It’s a natural response to exposure to others’ trauma. Understanding it is key to protecting ourselves & sustaining this work. #VicariousTrauma #HelpingProfessionals #SelfCarePsychology

One size does not fit all yalom quite

Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. You’re not a textbook case—so why should therapy follow a formula? The relationship between therapist and client is what truly matters. Therapy should shape around you, not the other way around. #TherapyIs #PersonCentred #TherapistsConnect

Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring

The ‘cost of caring’ doesn’t have to drain you. Compassion fatigue is real, but it’s not inevitable. 💛🌿
#CompassionFatigue #CharlesFigley

Looking through a railway bridge to a lighter sky

Sometimes, when we’re in the heavy bits, a glimpse of lighter skies can be enough to keep going. Therapy can be like that—a space to hold the tough stuff while also holding onto hope. 💛
(Also, my granddaughter calls this railway bridge a cave, so it makes me laugh too!)
#TherapyIs #Hope

Peer support is not a nia nice to have

The best resource helping professionals have? Each other. Connection is one of the strongest buffers against burnout, but peer support doesn’t just happen—it needs space to grow. Who’s in your support network? #PeerSupportMatters #WorkplaceWellbeing #BurnoutPrevention

Therapy is a lot heating the heart not just the words

🌱 Therapy is about hearing the heart, not just the words. It’s about tuning in—not just to what’s said, but what isn’t. A space to be heard, fully.
#TherapyIs #Counselling #MentalHealth #TherapistsConnect #PersonCentred

Compassion fatigue definition

Compassion fatigue can hit suddenly, leaving us drained, cynical, and questioning our ability to care. It’s not burnout, but it is real—and protecting ourselves matters. Our Five Pillars of Protection help buffer the impact. Let’s talk about it.

#CompassionFatigue #HelpingProfessionals

Holding space for trainees

Training as a therapist isn’t just about learning theory and practice. It’s about self-awareness, reflection, and doing our own work. If we want to sit with others, we need to be willing to sit with ourselves first.
#TherapyIs #CounsellingTraining #BecomingATherapist #TherapistsConnect

Preventing burnout is not an indulgence

💡 Burnout prevention isn’t just an indulgence. It’s an ethical imperative.
🛑 If helping professionals are exhausted, who benefits?
💬 Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s the foundation of ethical practice.

1000 followers

I’m so proud of SVP!
💬 1,000 followers?! On instagram
We’re not social media pros, but if this means more real talk about professional trauma and fatigue, we’re all in.

Copy of training slide

🔹 A full day of training with frontline staff across social care & education—exploring the risks, remedies, and rewards of front line helping professions. A challenging but energising day, filled with insight, connection & real talk. #SelfCarePsychology #HelpingProfessionals

Another coffee isn’t going to fix kot distress

Coffee won’t fix moral distress. Neither will sweets (sadly). Moral distress isn’t a personal failing—it’s the cost of working in systems that don’t align with your values. Self-care alone won’t erase it, but collective care might. #SelfCarePsychology #MoralDistress #CollectiveCare

Carl rogers quite on truly heard

✨ Being truly heard can change everything.
Maybe therapy isn’t about fixing things—maybe it’s about feeling heard enough to figure them out for yourself.
#TherapyIs #PersonCentred #TherapistsConnect #MentalHealthMatters

Definition of professional trauma and fatigue

Helping professionals face more than just burnout. That’s why created a term, Professional Trauma and Fatigue—to capture the impact of compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, moral distress & more. Recognising it is the first step. #SelfCarePsychology #TraumaAwareness

Therapy isn’t about having all of the answers it’s about having the space to explore the questions

🛑 Therapy isn’t about being given all the answers.
One of the first things I say to clients? I don’t have a magic wand. ✨
Therapy isn’t about fixing you—it’s about having the space to untangle what’s been feeling stuck and figure out what fits for you.
#TherapyIs #SelfDiscovery #MentalHealthMatters

Training is a journey

Feeling overwhelmed by training? You’re not alone in this. Take a moment to revisit who’s in your corner—peers, tutors, supervisors. Support is there. You don’t have to do it all alone. 🌿
#HoldingSpaceForStudents #FutureHelpers #YouAreNotAlone

Audre Lorde quote

‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.’ – Audre Lorde
Self-care isn’t about candles and bubble baths. It’s about resilience, sustainability, and being able to keep going. Let’s shift the conversation.
#SelfCarePsychology #SelfCareIsPolitical #BeyondBubbleBaths

Professional trauma and fatigue model 5 pillars of protection

Great to dust off the Five Pillars of Protection for today's 'Secondary Trauma: Supporting Managers to Support Staff' with Staffs CC. A helpful model for spotting where support is needed to buffer professional trauma & fatigue. Thanks for having us! #SecondaryTrauma #WorkplaceWellbeing

SELFCARE psychology logo

A fabulous, thought-provoking morning delivering 'Secondary Trauma: Supporting Managers to Support Staff' with Staffordshire CC. Huge thanks for having us!
#SelfCarePsychology #SecondaryTrauma #SupportingManagers #HelpingProfessionals #WorkplaceWellbeing