Most of us know what poor mental health is, but what about somebody who is mentally healthy?  We take that for granted, but Nancy McWilliams doesn’t, here are the ten threads that when woven together give you a tapestry of good mental health: Safety and attachment security We all need somewhere safe to land. A place where another person’s presence brings comfort rather than fear, tension, or unpredictability. Part of therapy is helping people move from insecure patterns of attachment towards...

If you’ve not listened to it before, maybe you have heard of the ‘High Performance Podcast’ by Jake Humphries. I went through a short phase (a matter of days, if not hours) of playing it in the background whilst I worked. I wanted something intimate that I could dip in and out of whilst I concentrated on other things. I wanted to learn about people and listen to their stories.   But I found myself almost bored to tears by it. Why?   There was a focus – almost an obsession – with being...

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried thinking about your problem and resolving to “do better”. You’ve probably analysed it, tried to be rational, you might have tried gratitude journaling, and you may have even locked eyes with yourself in the mirror and told yourself to get a grip.   And yet…except the odd period of reprieve, it keeps happening.   Psychotherapy is a way of working with that.   I won’t give you motivational speeches, or yet another new set of...