Sue Lewis Counselling, Psychotherapy and Supervision near Oxford and Banbury

On this page I write about current topics that I find interesting in the world of mental health and wellbeing, as well as what's been going on in my head and heart over the past month. I hope you like it and find it useful - contact me with any comments, or post something on my Facebook page.

Most people need a sense of achievement in their life - a sense of having completed something, or made a difference to something or someone, or closure. Some people are lucky enough to have it written into their job – building a wall, fixing a computer, creating a painting. It might not be forever, of course, and the satisfaction felt will depend on the person doing it.

I often reflect on therapy, and the sense of achievement I get from it. In some ways it’s very rewarding – I see people make steps (small or large) towards their goals, deepen their understanding or sense of meaning in life, or simply feel happier. Then they leave and get back into the world, living their lives and I may never hear from them again (in fact, that’s usually the case). So I – and therapists in general – have to live with the not knowing what happens next.

Sometimes I do something different, such as my teaching work with people wanting to become counsellors. This week I met with some people who had graduated some 18 months ago, and they told me what they’d been doing with their qualification – they were all using it in some way to do good in their communities. That was very rewarding, to have a sense of what had come out of my work over the last 5 years and how they had all been using it.

I guess the secret is, if you’re in one of those jobs where the eventual outcome can’t be easily seen, to find meaning and enjoyment in the process of it. To be mindful in the moment of what we are doing, and let it connect with us as deeply as we can. Easier said than done in a culture which values achievement, and when we might have had a lot of similar childhood messages! The other important thing is, I think, to value and celebrate the small senses of achievement we might get in our work – it’s there, if we look hard enough!

This is a compassionate and helpful article on the feelings that parents have when their children go back to school, and how to deal with them. It's for Dads as well as Mums!

Click here.

It seems the time for reviewing codes of ethics is upon us. The BACP have recently published their new Framework, and the UKCP are now consulting on theirs. In case you are a UKCP member and didn’t know – now is the time to make your voice heard. Click here.