In 2024, I contributed a chapter for “The Unmaking of Them: Clinical Reflections of Boarding School Syndrome “(Duffell, 2025). This explored the complexity of working therapeutically with adults who attended boarding school and the impact that the dislocation in attachment from their parents/ carers may have had into adulthood. Boarding
It is surprisingly easy to become more familiar with what we do not want than with what we do. We do not want to feel anxious, trapped, unsuccessful or alone. We do not want to remain in an unfulfilling job or repeat the same painful patterns. Yet when we have
There can be enormous pressure in our lives to appear “fine”. How many times do we respond with “fine” to the question of “how are you?” when the opposite is true. We may become skilled at presenting a capable and composed version of ourselves: continuing to work, caring for others
For generations, many women have learnt that succeeding requires them to embody qualities traditionally associated with the masculine: independence, decisiveness, productivity, resilience and control. These qualities are not inherently male, nor are they undesirable. They help us establish boundaries, pursue meaningful goals and create change. Yet when they become the
When we are living through an acutely difficult period, it can be almost impossible to imagine that life will ever feel different. We cannot see the path ahead; we see only what has been lost, what has gone wrong and how far we appear to be from the life we