Welcome

Are you stressed? Anxious? Depressed? Or are you struggling to come to terms with change or upset in your life such as separation, divorce or the death of someone close to you? If you want to understand why you're feeling this way and find a way out of your unhappiness to a stronger and more confident future, I can help you.

FIND OUT MORE

Modern life is busy and stressful and there are 5.5 million results for the Google search 'help my anxiety'. Articles and self help books can be helpful but some one-to-one counselling support can be invaluable.

Would you like to be able to take control of your draining and negative emotions and feel calmer, more content and more motivated and optimistic about your future?

We can work together to help you understand the nature of your stress, anxiety, depression or general unhappiness - and effectively and successfully overcome it.

Welcome

Our life rarely goes the way we plan it -it can deal painful blows that shock and hurt, it can sometimes completely knock us off our feet. Sometimes simply the daily pace of life is enough to wear us down. The result can be stress, anxiety, anger, illness and depression.

The bad news is that disappointment, failure, loss, frustration, illness, rejection, ageing are part of our human experience. We can't have everything we want in life and we can't always be happy.

The good news is that even if we can't have what we want, we can still lead a rich and rewarding life. A fulfilling life with meaning and hope.

I will take as few sessions as possible to help you understand your current unhappiness. This could be stress, depression, anxiety, grief, compulsive or addictive unhealthy behaviours. I can help you think about your problems in a new way and offer you a range of techniques to make you feel better after every consultation.

Is your stress / anxiety / depression 'bad' enough to have counselling?

I would estimate that during their initial session with me, 90% of my clients question whether they should be seeking counselling. They say things like 'other people have it worse' or 'I only have first world problems'. My response is that just because your issue isn’t connected to life or death, doesn’t mean it doesn’t cause genuine pain or isn’t worth thinking about. You know in your heart if something isn't quite 'right' and could be better. If you fill your own cup up, then you are able to give to others - that isn't selfish; it is sensible and wise.

On with your life

I am here for you and will take the time to understand you, recognise your pain and appreciate how badly you are suffering - with a trained, experienced and professional eye.

I am able to support you, treat you kindly and offer you practical and valuable help to help you move on with confidence through you life - which will be an investment you will earn the returns on for many years to come.

A welcoming central Stafford location

My Stafford office is located 15 minutes walking distance from the town centre. There is easy on-street free car parking are and the building has full disabled access and toilet facilities. My therapy room is just a couple of minutes from a bus stop (Greyfriars) which is on the main route for buses arriving from the north and south of Stafford as well as Newcastle under Lyme and Stoke on Trent

Testimonials

Julie was excellent to work with. She made me focus on specific areas for reflection and strategies.

Thank you - I am coping better each day with your help and support.

After working with Julie I have an increased awareness of my self perceptions and how to change this. I have learned how to care for myself.

Julie was simply a great help!

Julie has helped me through an extremely difficult time - I could not have done it on my own.

Julie was really helpful when talking to her about any feelings I had. She took it the next step by actually taking the time to look into things I had mentioned which could later be discussed in sessions. She's a credit to her work and would recommend anyone who's perhaps looking on here for counselling to take the push and reach out to her

Recent Posts

Summertime depression is a real thing

By Julie | June 28, 2018

Most of us have heard of winter depression – SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. But as the word ‘seasonal’ suggests, it isn’t just in winter that our mood can be affected to the point where we feel down or depressed. Summer time depression is a recognised thing. In fact, the nearer the equator you go,…

Why the RNLI ‘Float to stay alive’ can also make for great counselling advice

By Julie | May 23, 2018

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) today launched its national drowning prevention campaign to Respect The Water. The campaign urges people, should they fall unexpectedly into cold water, to understand what is happening in their body and to try and take action which may initially appear counter-intuitive: Take a minute. The initial effects of cold water…

5 tips to manage your anxiety

By Julie | May 5, 2018

Anxiety is extremely common – and drains your energy, focus and motivation. You may or may not have panic attacks and phobias, but you may feel overtaken by a sense of fear or impending doom. You will feel unable to help yourself or face things calmly. You may be experiencing a range of anxiety symptoms…

“Honey, this is out of our league” – friends or professional counselling?

By Julie | February 5, 2018

Making the decision to seek professional help for your stress, anxiety or depression is a big one. Quite often it happens not out of a proactive choice, but simply because we have exhausted our other options – and what normally works to help us sort out our problems is no longer working. But when do…

How can you make your New Year Resolutions stick?

By Julie | January 8, 2018

According to a recent article in New Scientist, only 10 per cent of new year resolutions will survive the whole year. It’s hardly a surprise to most of us…haven’t we all taken out an ill-fated gym membership / committed to Dry January only to fall at the first weekend after the first January-blues week /…

‘Tis the season to be jolly?

By Julie | December 22, 2017

There is enormous pressure for us all to have a wonderful time at Christmas and New Year. But for many of us, especially those of us who struggle with addictions and unhealthy dependencies, it is fair to say that our mental health takes a turn for the worse. Just when our body clocks are…

But other people have bigger problems than me…

By Julie | November 13, 2017

One of the things that often stops us seeking counselling is that we feel that our problems are insignificant compared to the suffering of those we feel have bigger problems than us. We tell ourselves that we should be grateful for what we have, that others are much worse off than us, that we are…

On With My Life Counselling and Psychotherapy is born!

By Julie | October 19, 2017

I am so pleased to bring to you On With My Life counselling service. And also surprised – in a pleasant sort of way – because On With My Life (or OWML) hasn’t been born of any grand ambitious entrepreneurial plan (though there’s certainly nothing wrong with those!) but sparked and spluttered into life 7…