Abuse can come in many different forms, all of which can have a significant impact on our mental health and wellbeing. The effects of abuse can be long lasting and can stay with us throughout our lifetime.

Forward Thinking Therapy aims to provide you with a safe space within which we can explore and process these experiences. Allowing you to regain power and control of your life.

Are you described as having a “short fuse” or having “anger problems”?

Or are you aware yourself that sometimes it doesn’t take much to be pushed to the edge?

FTT can support you in understanding your responses to certain situations, exploring the reasons behind them, and ways to better manage this anger in the future.

“A feeling of unease, such as worry or fear” - NHS

Anxiety is our bodies natural response to stress. Think of this as an alarm system that makes you aware that something may be wrong.

We all experience this from time to time and it can impact on us in many different ways; overthinking, difficulties sleeping, and experiencing unpleasant physical sensations to name but a few. If untreated anxiety can develop into panic attacks.

At Forward Thinking Therapy we support you in understanding the cause of your anxiety, as well as upskilling you with different techniques to better manage anxieties in the future.

When we experience loss we can experience a vast array of emotions which can leave us feeling confused. We may begin to feel overwhelmed and may start to notice other areas of our lives being impacted.

Some of the emotions that may arise when bereaved include sadness, despair, numbness, and relief. These can be incredibly difficult for us to process, however, it’s vital that we do!

At FTT we aim to give you a safe space where you can share and process your thoughts and feelings without any pressure or judgement being present. We understand that healing often takes time and we always ensure we go at a pace that is comfortable for you.

We all experience low-mood from time to time although when this is experienced continuously for a prolonged period of time this could be classified as depression, a debilitating mood disorder that can make finding joy in our day-to-day lives a difficult task.

Depression isn’t something someone can just ‘snap out of’. Instead it can leave us feeling sad, worthless, hopeless, guilty, empty, restless, lacking in self-confidence and even suicidal.

FTT can provide counselling for depression and low-mood where some of the reasons behind the development of its symptoms can be explored, as well as identifying some mechanisms that can help you manage the disorder and regain control of your life.

“Dissociation is a way the mind copes with too much stress.” - NHS

Dissociation is a defence mechanism our bodies utilise to protect us. This can sometimes be experienced as fog descending in your mind, a switch that’s been pressed that has seemingly erased your memory, or an out of body experience where you are viewing yourself as a third person.

Dissociation can make it difficult to connect or attach with memories, feelings, or the present moment.

At FTT can support you in identifying the root of your dissociation as well as upskilling you with techniques to reduce these symptoms.

Life can sometimes prove overwhelming as professional, personal, familial and social responsibilities collide.

This can sometimes result in us feeling as though we don’t have any more space to deal with life’s stressors. We can experience ‘break downs’ and prolonged periods of overwhelm where it feels like there is simply far too much going on for us to deal with.

In those moments remember FTT is here for you! At FTT we can support you in understanding these feelings of overwhelm, whilst also upskilling you with insights and techniques that you can utilise to better support yourself in the future.

Sometimes we may feel lost and feel as though a part of ourselves is missing and we may feel like we no longer recognise ourselves as the person we once were.

Other times we may feel others don’t understand or accept us.

These can be incredibly challenging situations to be faced with and can cause feelings of discomfort within us that we try to grapple with in an attempt to be true to ourselves.

At FTT we provide you with a safe and confidential space to talk through these challenges, whilst supporting you in identifying who you feel you are and what that means for you, so you can live life the way you really want to!

“45% of adults feel occasionally, sometimes or often lonely in England. This equates to twenty-five million people.” (Campaign to End Loneliness).

As these statistics illustrate; almost half of England’s population experience loneliness in some capacity. Nine million of which may suffer from a more chronic form of loneliness that can prove debilitating.

Fleetingly, it’s a natural phenomenon for us to experience, although once embedded this can prove detrimental to our mental and physical health.

During a time where we have been encouraged to isolate and distance ourselves from others, it’s unsurprising that the amount of us experiencing loneliness has risen. We could even go as far to say that loneliness has become an epidemic in its own right.

At FTT we can support you in taking positive steps towards combatting loneliness and living your life with meaning and purpose.

Sometimes we may feel incompetent, unloved and inadequate. Unable to live up to the expectations of others, and even the expectations of ourselves.

We may feel afraid about making mistakes or letting people down. And we may notice that this begins to impact on many different areas of our lives.

At FTT we can support you in understanding more about the cause of low self-esteem, with the aim of building your confidence and improving the way in which you view yourself.

Stuck in a rut? Not feeling the same as you once did? Or noticed some concerning behaviours that you are worried about?

FTT is here to help. We recognise that no relationship is perfect and this is something that needs to be worked on. We can support you in gaining clarity on how you are feeling whilst supporting you in understanding what you really want and need from your relationship.

When in the deepest depths of despair where we struggle to see a route forward, and a future for ourselves, it’s important that we reach out.

We may turn to self-harm for relief, to feel something, or to regain a sense of control.

We may gravitate towards suicidality when life becomes unbearable and no other options feel quite enough to manage the turmoil we experience.

FTT have many years experience not only in crisis management, however, also in supporting people towards recovery, where they can find pleasure in life once more.

If you feel you are currently a risk to yourself or to another person please call the emergency services on 999.

“Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.” — Robert A. Heinlein

Whether we agree or disagree with the statement above, I think we can all recognise the importance of sleep in our day to day life.

Sometimes, however, we can find ourselves wide awake in the early hours of the morning wrestling with our fatigued mind, longing for a few hours of shuteye where we can finally shut off.

Unfortunately, due to anxieties and worries in our day to day life this isn’t always possible.

At FTT we can support you in identifying the cause of your sleepless nights, whilst also supporting you in achieving more consistent and better quality sleep.

Trauma is an emotional response to distressing events. These can be one off, multiple, or long lasting repetitive events which impact on each of us differently.

Our initial responses to trauma can be very complex, yet some common responses may include symptoms such as, exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, physical arousal, and flashbacks.

Unprocessed traumas can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and so speaking with a trusted and qualified therapist to safely work through some of this comes highly recommended.

At FTT we offer counselling for trauma and can support you in understanding and processing some of these experiences so they no longer hold as much power over you.

Sometimes we can’t quite place it. A feeling like no other, or even no feeling at all.

Whether it be physical discomfort, psychological discomfort, a sense of numbness or just an ‘off’ feeling.

It can be difficult for us to find the words to describe what we are going through, and we can’t figure out where it has come from. We can be left feeling lonely and helpless as we feel like nobody quite understands what we’re experiencing.

At FTT we will sit alongside you and hear you. We will provide you the space you deserve to talk through your experiences. Together we can begin to make sense of any unexplained discomfort and can work towards identifying the cause of this and routes forward where this unexplained discomfort is not as present.

Got the ‘Sunday Blues’?

Feelings of anxiety or dread the day before heading back to work can be a real pain. They can impact on our mood and overall wellbeing, sapping our energy before the working week has even begun.

Forward Thinking Therapy will listen to your work-related frustrations and support you in identifying what you can do about these.