The Nuance Counselling Blog

For me, there are few scents more provocative that the smell of newly-cut grass at the beginning of the growing season.  While the sound of a lawnmower has few, if any, connotations for me, the scent of cut grass in May transports me instantly back to exam season: the relentless passage of time; the stress and anxiety of the unknown; the growing sense of foreboding…  Conversely, the smell of a particular citrus perfume brings an instant sense of calm and wellbeing.  A popular scent used by...

Maybe I have been too complacent.  Although I have certainly read headlines in the press warning of significant job losses across the board as the capability of artificial intelligence (AI) gathers pace, somehow I imagined that psychotherapy would be different: how, I wondered, could a robot ever replace the core conditions of empathy, congruence and unconditional acceptance that, according to one school of thought, is essential for clients to face emotional distress and achieve lasting...

Am I alone in thinking that the incidence of conspiracy theories is on the rise?  Of course, conspiracy theories are nothing new and have an age-old allure about them: from questioning the veracity of the lunar landing to inciting vaccine hesitancy, they have pervaded many aspects of modern life.  Indeed, I was recently intrigued to learn that even the American declaration of independence was arguably founded on a conspiracy theory, revolutionaries having successfully argued that a tax on tea...

Frans de Waal once said that ‘the sturdiest pillars of human morality are compassion and a sense of justice’.  Others might define morality rather differently, perhaps pointing to an intrinsic sense of ethical awareness, trustworthiness, respect and altruism.  Irrespective of how we may define morality, however, each of us is acutely aware when it is missing, recognising its absence from the rising sense of injustice we may feel when witnessing the aftermath.  Furthermore, it appears that the...

In any other context, it would have seemed unremarkable.  The sound of a slamming door elsewhere in the surgery was certainly an unwelcome intrusion into our conversation, but one that appeared harmless enough.  However, my client’s response was instantaneous: she flinched visibly, her eyes wide with alarm, her face contorted by the onslaught of intrusive memories.   ‘What’s going on for you?’, I enquired, gently drawing attention to the dramatic change in her demeanour.  But nothing could...

Like many, I greatly enjoy the anticipation of Christmas, sometimes rather more than the event itself: the crisp dark nights illuminated with Christmas lights; joining friends from church for our annual carols by candlelight service; the all-pervasive smell of cinnamon and pine needles.  But as the memory of Christmas begins to fade for another year and new year’s celebrations light up the midnight sky, I feel a strange compulsion to reflect on the past year, its highs and inevitable lows, and...

Although I seldom sit down with the express intention of watching television, I recently found myself engrossed in an episode of The Repair Shop on BBC One, having chanced upon it one evening.  Now in its 8th series, the programme has proven surprisingly popular, being watched by 6.7 million people at the height of its popularity.  Indeed, in 2019 the series received a well-deserved nomination for a Rose d'Or in the Reality and Factual Entertainment category.  Fronted by the charismatic Jay...

I remember only too well the first time I heard those ominous words accompanying a story on the BBC News.  It must have been over fifteen years ago, perhaps more, although I can no longer recall details of the exact event that warranted the warning.  But the sense of alarm it conjured up, mixed with a tinge of curiosity, will doubtless stay with me for some time.  What on earth was about to be shown on prime-time television under the guise of the News that required viewers to be prepared for...

There is little doubt that metrics play an increasing role in guiding the decisions we make about many aspects of life, from the schools to which we send our children to the dentist we trust to deliver an implant.  But metrics have also begun to subtly influence our view of others and even our own sense of self-worth as they infiltrate the majority of jobs and careers: while sales figures cloud the working lives of those in the retail sector, Ofsted ratings remain the bane of headteachers’...

The efficacy of anti-depressants is a debate that has raged for decades and shows little sign of abating.  At its heart lies the broad range of experiences of those prescribed drugs such as fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram: for some they have proven no less than a lifeline during a period of intense emotional upheaval, providing much-needed stability.  But for others, the experience may be very different, anti-depressants seeming to have little effect or, in rare cases, appearing to...

There seems little doubt that this summer has had more than its fair share of sporting highlights for the UK: the agonising near-miss of Euro 2020, the impressive medal haul of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and Emma Raducanu’s extraordinary win of the US Open, to name but a few.  And yet rarely have we become quite so aware of the pressures facing sportsmen and women and the impact those pressures inevitably have on their mental health.  This was perhaps epitomised by Naomi Osaka’s...

There is little doubt that we have learnt much from the coronavirus pandemic, not only about our vulnerabilities and priorities as a society, but also about our resilience.  One consequence of lockdown that intrigued me, was the way that many seized the opportunity to make contact with old friends and acquaintances with whom they had lost contact over the years.  But I found myself wondering why it should take an event of such magnitude and global impact to inspire us to rekindle relationships...

I must confess that I seem to live my life under the tyranny of lists and I suspect I am not alone: lists of things to pack for those few days away with the family, lists of things I really must mention when I next call to my mother.  But without a doubt the most terrorising of all is the ‘to do’ list which has somehow infiltrated my life to become a ritual with which I begin most days. And it is not entirely without purpose: somehow setting out on paper my objectives for the day helps me plan...

Like many, I have watched with a mixture of concern and powerlessness at political changes around the world that have brought fear and oppression on people who once enjoyed freedom of expression.  The recent events in Hong Kong have been particularly difficult to watch, given the many academic colleagues I have had over the years currently living there but whose future is now far from certain.  Since, in the UK, we have little to fear from the state curtailing our freedom of speech, it can be...