Blog

This week’s blog was written by our Assistant Psychologist Gabby Donaldson. One year on from our first lockdown and it is clear the world has

This week’s blog was written by our Assistant Psychologist Gabby Donaldson. Given the recent development in Coronavirus news, a roadmap out of lockdown, it is

This week’s blog was written by our Assistant Psychologist Gabby Donaldson. Now that schools have re-opened, I wanted to reflect on the different emotions we

Today’s blog is written by Assistant Psychologist Gabby Donaldson. We have now done one week of our second national lockdown. For some, this lockdown may

This week’s blog was written by Headspace Guildford’s fantastic Assistant Psychologist, Gabby Donaldson. It’s so brilliant because it reminds me of the rainbows that went

Last week I was talking about being kind. For that post I focused on the benefits to you. Today I want to continue to bang

Last week I talked about managing uncertainty by sitting with it. This week I want to think about a different skill which I think is

Let’s face it. This hasn’t been the easiest of years. Even if you loved lockdown or have welcomed the chance to be at home more,

It’s often around this time, two or three weeks into the school term, that you start to notice some signs. Having skipped in happily for

It’s everywhere isn’t it? The newspapers, the TV, Social media. Everyone is talking about the return to school. Everyone is talking about what that might

At Headspace Guildford we are running some anxiety groups next week (face to face and online versions). We’ve got just a few spaces left so

Here is some advice from another child who has been to Headspace Guildford and worked with Ellie. ‘Before coming to Headspace I was really nervous

This post is jointly written by Jemima Onih and Dr Ellie Atkins as part of the work we are doing as a practice to be

I’m working like mad at the moment getting the Headspace Guildford groups organised for the end of August. These groups are designed to help children

Creating a roadmap with the help of our BAME internships. The week that George Floyd was killed I was half way through the book ‘Biased’

I read somewhere that we’ll remember this year for the rest of our lives. It’s been a rollercoaster of a time since Covid really started

From the children and young people we are talking to at Headspace Guildford, we know that there is a fair amount of anxiety out there

This picture was on a train advert and I thought it was spot on. This is so often what happens in our head. One thought

Let’s face it, there are some pretty tough things happening at the moment. There’s a killer virus, people have died, the economy is struggling and

I find that some days during lockdown are good, some even wonderful. To be at home, in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, with my family,

This week’s blog is guest written by one of our young people, Evelyn who is in Primary school. This is what she has to say:

Today’s blog is about finding things to be grateful for, whatever situation we find ourselves in. It has been expertly written by Phoebe Crook, Assistant

Today’s blog has been written by Phoebe Crook, Assistant Psychologist at Headspace Guildford. It’s about Patience during lockdown but will be just as relevant in

Today’s blog has been written by Headspace Guildford’s Assistant Psychologist Phoebe Crook Today’s blog post is going to discuss lockdown exhaustion. At the time of

It sometimes takes a while to publish a peer reviewed paper. It has been so with one of my papers. Having written this journal article

When I’m not working at Headspace Guildford, I work at St George’s Hospital in London. More of my time and headspace has been there in

Today’s blog has been written by Headspace Guildford’s very own Assistant Psychologist, Phoebe Crook. The weeks of lockdown are slowly turning into months and there

Today’s blog has been written by Phoebe Crook, Assistant Psychologist at Headspace Guildford. We know there are many challenges at this time, and many things

Today’s blog has been written by the brilliant Phoebe Crook, Assistant Psychologist at Headspace Guildford In the current circumstances you might have more time on

Today’s blog is written by the wonderful Phoebe Crook, Assistant Psychologist at Headspace Guildford. Both you and your child might be feeling anxious due to

This week’s blog is guest-written by Phoebe Crook, Assistant Psychologist at Headspace Guildford. Thanks Phoebe! Whilst we may have been in lock down for nearly

I’ve written a series of 5 mini-webinars aimed at NHS staff (although relevant to all) which may help at this time. They’re all 3-5 minutes

Thank you to all those of you who shared the webinar I posted last week. I do hope you are keeping well and taking care

This is a scary time for lots of people. It’s a stressful time for lots of people. We can’t just magic that away. But there

Let’s face it. People are nervous, anxious or downright scared at the moment. So, I wanted to write today about anxiety, because I’m seeing so

I’m writing this blog for anybody who is feeling nervous or anxious or down right scared about coronavirus. We can’t turn on any kind of

I think there’s a real danger I could write this blog every week and sound completely sanctimonious. Here I am sitting in my high tower

In the final blog of the mini-series on myths in Clinical Psychology I will talk about a rather unconscious myth which is so often what

In our mini-series about the myths of Psychology, the next one is that Psychologists know what you are thinking or are analysing you in every

There are lots of myths about clinical psychology. I’m going to use the next couple of blogs to address these. One of the key myths

I’ve blogged before about the kindness of strangers (http://headspaceguildford.co.uk/the-power-of-kindness/ and http://headspaceguildford.co.uk/little-kindness-world/) and what a difference a simple, random act of kindness can make to someone.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what to write in this blog. Traditionally January is linked with fresh starts and new beginnings and with the

When you write a blog which goes on your webpages, you’re representing yourself and demonstrating your views for anyone to read. It’s difficult because you

As I wrote last week (link) there is a lot of hype around Christmas. It’s tempting to get swept up in ‘silly season’ and rush

Why is it always the way that when we need to look after ourselves the most, that’s the time when we’re least able to do

Apparently ‘tis the season to be jolly. I’m not sure if I believe it myself. I think ‘tis the season to think you’re supposed to

Last week I used this quote “The world is changed by your example, not your opinion” (link here)  and talked about how you could change

Last week I was talking about practising what you preach (here). I came across this quote which summarises it too… “The world is changed by

I truly believe in practising what you preach. If you’re not prepared to do something then you shouldn’t be asking other people to do this.

I have a psychologist friend who says that thinking is the key work of a Psychologist and what makes us stand out from other professionals.

I don’t mean to sound like boring old woman, but I’m not a big fan of Halloween. In fact I would go as far as

Recently, I passed someone who was crying, sitting just outside the hospital where I work part of the week. I stopped and asked her if

The world can be a depressing place. Headlines about Brexit stalemates and the climate and about bad people doing things all over the world. But

Quite often people come to see me at Headspace Guildford and they aren’t feeling too good. Their feelings have got big and they are struggling

So often these days we use terms like ‘beyond busy’ and ‘at capacity’. It’s not always clear whether we have got busier or whether our

Last week I talked about this article about the skills needed to survive in the 4th industrial revolution and decried the potential loss of active

Apparently in 5 years’ time, the skills we need to thrive will have significantly changed. You can read the article I’m talking about here What

Over the last couple of weeks, I have talked about how hard holidays can be. Perhaps that chimed with you – or perhaps not. Some

We spend a lot of time wondering if what we are doing is good enough. If we are working hard enough, eating healthy enough, looking

A long while ago I wrote this blog [http://headspaceguildford.co.uk/savouring-little-things-day-life-parent/] which talked about how you find the good in the things that are happening – realistically

People talk about holidays as being a well-earned break and a chance to relax. Adverts in particular portray the idyllic life, popping out for day

It is pretty common these days to hear someone talk about how overwhelmed they are with the various juggles that life is placing on them.

I often think of that old adage about people on their deathbed who never say they wished they’d spent more time at work. I love

I promised here (http://headspaceguildford.co.uk/what-is-mental-health/) that I would post on how life growing up impacts on our mental health. This is a tricky area to write

And just for clarification right at the start, I don’t mean running away. So, here’s what I do mean: I like to run. I’m not

I promised a post on all the fun stuff we do at Headspace Guildford. The way I figure it, if you’re going to give up

So, you’re on the platform, staring down the tracks, having missed that train (see last week’s blog http://headspaceguildford.co.uk/trains-traffic-and-emotional-regulation/) and feeling awful. Just at that moment

Emotional regulation is the term we use to talk about how we manage big feelings. It’s a skill we all need in life and sometimes

Life isn’t ever like it is on the TV, or in films or books. Because space and time is precious in a programme or a

A Clinical Psychologist I admire very much (Dr Lucy Johnstone) said something along the lines of this – ‘we need to move from working out

As I  think I’ve mentioned before, I’ve got a quote on the wall at the Headspace Guildford office that says “no one has got it

You sleep badly and wake early stressing about the upcoming exams. As you are coming round you notice the little toy on your bedside table

At Headspace Guildford we often help children and young people manage something which is distressing them – often things like worries or coping with feelings

I like the Action for Happiness stuff a lot. https://www.actionforhappiness.org/ I like the idea that instead of trying not to feel something negative (Sad, depressed,

I ended last week’s blog with the quote from Winnie the Pooh. The whole quote actually goes like this: You are BRAVER than you believe

I can remember once being in a very important interview – in fact it was one of a series that I needed to pass to

It occurs to me that I’ve been talking a lot about kindness recently, and perhaps not started at the beginning. I recently had a conversation

Following last week’s post about what I’ve learnt from young people I’d also like to represent the other side too. At Headspace Guildford, and in

I have the privilege of working with young people and getting to hear more about the world they live in. This is invaluable for me

I don’t mean to sound wet (or like I have a limited vocabulary) but really, it is nice just to be nice. In fact, it’s

I have a quote on the wall in my office. It says “nobody’s got it all figured out”. I like it very much because it

We talk a lot about interventions to improve people’s mental health. At Headspace Guildford we see lots of people struggling with their mental health. Here’s

…would go a long way. Mostly, people are just trying to make their way in the world. Nobody’s got it all figured out. People mess

It’s tough growing up. For some children and young people it’s really tough. Made harder when people tell you that “School years are the best

We now know so much more about the way our physical health and mental health are intertwined. Look at the fact that when you are

The physical/mental divide – how is it that this remains in the 21st century? Nick clegg talked about it during his election campaign. He highlighted