UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service

Healthy boundaries 💚 Learning to say “no”

Are you the person everyone comes to because they know you’ll probably say yes?

A favour for a family member.

One more thing at work.

Another commitment you hadn’t planned for.

Someone needing your help, your time, your energy…

And before you know it, your own needs have slipped right to the bottom of the list.

Sometimes saying no feels harder than saying yes.

You might worry about disappointing people, seeming selfish, upsetting someone or creating conflict.

So you say:

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

Even when what you really want to say is:

“I can’t take that on right now.”

That sentence might sound simple, but for someone who has spent years putting everyone else first, actually saying it can feel incredibly difficult.

This is where counselling can help.

In a remote counselling session, you can explore why saying no feels so uncomfortable, look at the situations where you find yourself automatically saying yes, and work out what you actually want to say.

And you can practise.

For example:

💚 “I can’t take that on right now.”

💚 “Let me think about it before I commit.”

💚 “I’m not able to help with that this time.”

💚 “I can help with this, but I can’t take on everything.”

Assertiveness isn’t about becoming rude, difficult or uncaring.

It’s about learning to communicate your needs clearly without losing yourself in everyone else’s.

Sometimes, you don’t need more confidence before you start.

You build confidence by practising.

And counselling can be a safe place to start. 💚

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Are you a people pleaser?

Do you find yourself saying yes when you really want to say no?

Worrying about disappointing people?

Putting everyone else’s needs before your own?

Apologising when you’ve done nothing wrong?

Or feeling responsible for keeping everyone happy?

People pleasing can look like kindness on the outside, while leaving you feeling exhausted, resentful or disconnected from what you actually want.

And learning to say no doesn’t make you selfish.

It means learning that your needs matter too.

🎧 Something worth listening to

We came across this TEDx talk by Salma Hindy:

“Why People Pleasing is Hurting You”

It’s thoughtful, funny and a great starting point for thinking about why we sometimes find it so difficult to put ourselves first.

Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55HERZnmHT8

And if people pleasing is something you’re beginning to recognise in yourself, counselling can provide a safe space to explore where those patterns come from and what you might want to do differently.

You don’t have to keep saying yes to everyone else.

For counselling enquiries:
[email protected]

What healing really looks like

Healing doesn’t always look like feeling happy.

Sometimes it looks like finally saying, “I’m not okay.”

It can look like setting a boundary you’ve struggled to set.

Choosing yourself without feeling guilty.

Understanding why something affected you so deeply.

Learning to sit with difficult feelings instead of running from them.

Having a difficult day without believing you’ve gone backwards.

And sometimes, healing simply looks like realising:

“I don’t have to carry this on my own.”

Counselling can offer a safe, confidential space to explore what you’re carrying, understand yourself more deeply and begin to move forward at your own pace.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you ask for help.

Sometimes asking for help is where healing begins.

Online counselling available through UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service.

YouDontHaveToDoItAlone

Meet Maz, who has to be one of my most popular students ever!

Maz brings light and laughter into every room she walks into, but behind that wonderfully warm personality is an incredibly caring and gentle side. She has a natural ability to make people feel safe, seen and truly heard.

As her bio will tell you, Maz has faced her own challenges, and I think that makes her resilience, strength, determination and motivation all the more admirable. She has taken those experiences and used them to grow, learn and develop a genuine passion for supporting others.

I couldn’t be happier that Maz chose UK Therapy Guild to train with. Watching her journey from student to counsellor has been such a pleasure, and I’m incredibly proud that she is now representing us as one of our counsellors in the community.

We’re very lucky to have you, Maz. 💚

Meet my lovely daughter, Charley. 💕

If you’ve ever stood in a queue with Charley, you’ll know that you can pretty much guarantee she’ll have made a new friend by the time you reach the front! She’s warm, kind, loyal and has that lovely ability to make people feel comfortable wherever she goes.

But behind that friendly, sociable personality is a very quick mind. Charley’s first degree was in science, so if you’re ever putting a team together for a pub quiz, she’s definitely one you want on your side! 😂

I think all of these qualities come together beautifully in the counsellor she is becoming. She genuinely cares about people, she listens, she thinks deeply and she has a natural ability to make people feel at ease.

And as her mum, I’m incredibly proud to say that Charley trained through our very own UK Therapy Guild Academy and has now received her Fitness to Practise.

Watching your daughter find her own path and then step into a profession where she can make a difference to other people is a pretty special thing.

So, if you’re looking for a counsellor who is warm, approachable, thoughtful and completely herself, Charley might just be the person you’ve been looking for. 💗

If you’d like to book an appointment with Charley, contact us on 0151 272 1092 or email [email protected].

Welcome to the counselling team, Charley. I’m very proud of you. ❤️

Meet my lovely daughter, Charley.

If you’ve ever stood in a queue with Charley, you’ll know that you can pretty much guarantee she’ll have made a new friend by the time you reach the front! She’s warm, kind, loyal and has that lovely ability to make people feel comfortable wherever she goes.

But behind that friendly, sociable personality is a very quick mind. Charley’s first degree was in science, so if you’re ever putting a team together for a pub quiz, she’s definitely one you want on your side! 😂

I think all of these qualities come together beautifully in the counsellor she is becoming. She genuinely cares about people, she listens, she thinks deeply and she has a natural ability to make people feel at ease.

And as her mum, I’m incredibly proud to say that Charley trained through our very own UK Therapy Guild Academy and has now received her Fitness to Practise.

Watching your daughter find her own path and then step into a profession where she can make a difference to other people is a pretty special thing.

So, if you’re looking for a counsellor who is warm, approachable, thoughtful and completely herself, Charley might just be the person you’ve been looking for.

If you’d like to book an appointment with Charley, contact us on 0151 272 1092 or email [email protected].

Welcome to the counselling team, Charley. I’m very proud of you. ❤️

Meet Brenna, our Children’s Play Therapist.

If you’ve met Brenna, you’ll know she has one of those personalities that immediately puts you at ease. She’s warm, friendly, approachable and has the most beautiful Irish lilt.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Brenna previously, and I’ve always been struck by her wealth of knowledge and genuine passion for working with children. She has a wonderful understanding of both the theory behind play therapy and, importantly, how to bring it to life in practice.

But perhaps what says the most about Brenna is the children themselves. They absolutely love her. She has a natural way of connecting with children, meeting them where they are and creating a space where they can simply be themselves.

And then there’s that smile… honestly, it could brighten anyone’s day.

We’re really delighted to have Brenna as part of the UK Therapy Guild Counselling Services team, and we’re excited for the children and families she’ll be supporting.

Welcome to the team, Brenna. We’re so glad you’re here. 🫶🏼💚🤍🧡

Meet Leanne

I’m really happy to introduce you to Leanne.

Leanne has been part of our counselling service right from the very beginning. In fact, we actually started our counselling training together here in Liverpool, so I’ve had the privilege of watching her grow into the counsellor she is today.

She’s warm, honest and incredibly reflective. She has a lovely way of making people feel comfortable, while still giving them the space and respect to explore the things that matter to them.

And I think one of the best things I can tell you about Leanne is that her clients really value working with her. She has received some lovely feedback and has built strong, long-standing relationships with the people she supports.

Leanne is the kind of counsellor who genuinely listens. There’s no judgement, no expectation that you need to have the right words, and no pressure to have everything figured out before you walk through the door.

Sometimes taking that first step towards counselling can feel like a big thing.

Having someone warm and understanding on the other side can make all the difference.

So, if you’ve been thinking about reaching out, meet Leanne. 💚

Meet my daughter Erin… beautiful inside and out, and currently on maternity leave until January. We’re so excited to meet Baby Arthur 💙

Get to know me… if you would like to find out more you can read my story on www.uktherapyguild.co.uk 🧡