Darling Counselling

07/09/2026

🌸 Menopause Monday 🌸
Some menopause symptoms don’t get talked about nearly enough…
We all know about hot flushes, night sweats and disrupted sleep. But what about the symptoms that make you think:
“Why on earth am I suddenly like this?”

One that really caught my attention on this list is anxiety around driving.
I’ve heard friends talk about suddenly feeling nervous driving somewhere they’ve driven countless times before. And I’ve experienced that feeling myself — despite having driven for years without giving it a second thought.
And then there’s itchy skin. 🙈
That one was an absolute nightmare for me! I remember wondering why my skin had suddenly become so ridiculously itchy, without really understanding that hormonal changes could play a part.

There are so many possible symptoms of menopause, and sometimes it’s not the obvious ones that affect us the most.

Which symptom surprised you?
Was there something you experienced that you had no idea could be connected to menopause?
And if you’ve experienced it… how did you cope with it? 💬







Illustration by libbystevensonwellbeing

06/09/2026

🌿 Hello, I’m Jo.
I’m based in Harrietsham and I’ve recently launched Meadows Children’s Wellbeing, offering child-centred, relationship-led support for children and young people.

Every child deserves a space where they feel safe, valued and truly heard.

I provide gentle, supportive sessions in a calm and welcoming environment, helping children to understand and express their feelings, build confidence and develop healthy ways of coping with life’s challenges.

I can support children experiencing:

🌱 Anxiety and worries
🌱 Low mood
🌱 Confidence and self-esteem difficulties
🌱 Emotional regulation
🌱 Behavioural challenges
🌱 Significant life changes and transitions
🌱 Friendship and relationship difficulties
🌱 General emotional wellbeing

My aim is to help children develop the confidence, resilience and coping strategies they need — both now and as they grow.
Sessions are £45.

If you're a parent or carer and you're wondering whether some extra support could help your child, please get in touch. I'd be very happy to have an informal conversation about how I might be able to help.

🌿 Find out more:
www.meadowschildrenswellbeing.co.uk

06/09/2026

05/09/2026

What people think counselling looks like…

You lie on a comfy sofa.
You talk about your problems.
The therapist nods thoughtfully.
And after a few sessions… TA-DA! 🎉
Everything is magically sorted.

What counselling actually looks like…

You start exploring one thing… which leads to another… which leads to something you hadn't even realised was connected.
And suddenly…

“Well, we've uncovered quite a lot there… but we've still got a way to go!”

Counselling isn't a quick fix, and it isn't about someone telling you what's wrong with you or giving you all the answers.
It's about taking the time to understand what's going on underneath, make sense of it, and work through it at your own pace.

Sometimes there's laughter.
Sometimes there's tears.
Sometimes there's a lot more to uncover than you expected. 😂
And that's perfectly okay.

04/09/2026

🧭 Maybe you haven't taken the wrong turn...

Sometimes life doesn't go the way we planned.
A relationship ends.
A job changes.
A plan doesn't work out.
You realise the path you were on isn't actually where you want to go.

And our first thought can be:
“I've messed up.”
“I've wasted time.”
“I should have known better.”

But Google Maps doesn't tell you that you've failed when you miss a turning.
It simply says “re-routing…” 🗺️

Life can work the same way.
Changing direction doesn't mean you've failed. Sometimes it means you've learnt something, grown, or simply realised that you want something different.

So if you're having to re-route at the moment, don't automatically assume you've taken the wrong road.
You might just be finding a better one. ❤️

03/09/2026

How do you speak to yourself? 🌸

We can be incredibly harsh with ourselves.
“I’m so stupid.”
“Why did I do that?”
“I should be doing better.”
“I’m not good enough.”

Would you speak to someone you care about like that?
Probably not.
So why is it so easy to give ourselves a harder time than we would ever give another person?

The things we repeatedly say to ourselves matter. That inner voice becomes the voice we hear every day.
It doesn't mean pretending everything is perfect or never holding yourself accountable. It means noticing when your self-talk has crossed from helpful reflection into self-bullying.

You are your own little plant. 🌱
Water yourself.
Speak to yourself kindly.
Give yourself room to grow.
And bloom. 🌺







Illustration by power of positivity

02/09/2026

I sometimes wonder whether, when people see a counselling session advertised at £65, they think:
“£65 for someone to sit and listen to me for an hour?”

And I completely understand why it might look that way from the outside.
But that £65 isn't simply payment for the 60 minutes we spend together.

To become a counsellor, I completed four and a half years of training, costing upwards of £5000. And qualifying isn't where the learning stops.
There are ongoing costs involved in practising professionally, including:

🌿 Regular clinical supervision — between £90 and £140 a month
🌿 Professional insurance
🌿 Professional memberships
🌿 Continuing professional development and additional training
🌿 Room hire
🌿 Website and business costs
🌿 Administration, record keeping and time spent managing appointments
🌿 Personal therapy — because I believe it's important that I look after myself in order to be able to properly look after the people I work with.

And then there's everything that happens outside the therapy hour.

With hypnotherapy, for example, I may use a tried-and-tested script as a starting point, but often I'll adapt or write parts of a script specifically around the individual I'm working with, their circumstances and what they want to work on.
That can take another hour or more of preparation before we've even sat down together.

So while a session may cost £65, I certainly don't earn £65 an hour.
There is a lot of time, training, responsibility and ongoing investment behind those 60 minutes.
And I think that's something people don't always get to see.
Counselling is a profession that requires us to keep learning, keep ourselves accountable, look after our own wellbeing and make sure we're providing a safe and professional service to the people who trust us with some of the most difficult parts of their lives.
So if you've ever looked at the price of counselling and thought “that's a lot for an hour”, I hope this gives you a little more insight into what sits behind that price.

And if you're considering counselling, please don't ever feel awkward about asking about fees. It's important that you know what you're committing to and that you find a service that works for you. ❤️

Because counselling isn't simply an hour of listening.
It's years of training, ongoing learning, professional responsibility and preparation — all so that I can give you the best possible space to work through whatever has brought you to me.

01/09/2026

Bank holiday weekend is over… and whether you're heading back to work, back to routine, or simply back to real life, sometimes your nervous system needs a little reminder that it’s safe to slow down.
We breathe all day without thinking about it, but how we breathe can make a difference to how we feel.
Slow, controlled breathing can help us pause, settle our minds and bring us back into the present moment.
So before you launch yourself into the day, why not try one of these? 👇

You don't need a fancy app.
You don't need 20 minutes of meditation.
You just need to stop for a moment and breathe.
Sometimes looking after ourselves really can start with something as simple as that. ❤️

31/08/2026

Menopause Monday 🌸

🚨 WARNING: Side effects of perimenopause may include…
Truth-telling.
Boundary-setting.
Zero tolerance for bu****it.
And occasionally wondering why everyone is chewing so loudly. 😂

But here's the thing…
Perimenopause doesn't just affect the woman going through it. It can affect relationships too.
And sometimes our partners genuinely don't understand what's happening.

You can explain oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, fluctuating hormones, poor sleep, anxiety, brain fog and hot flushes…
…but unless you've actually experienced your hormones changing underneath you, it's quite difficult to feel what that means.

So here's one way of explaining it.
Imagine getting into your car one morning and discovering that someone has changed all the settings.
The accelerator is more sensitive.
The brakes don't feel quite the same.
The heating keeps switching itself on.
The sat nav occasionally stops working.
And the warning lights keep coming on for reasons you don't understand.
You'd probably be a little frustrated too. 😅

Now imagine someone sitting beside you saying:
"Why are you driving like that?"
"Can't you just calm down?"
"You didn't used to be like this."
"Have you really still got to have that treatment?"
"You've put on a bit of weight, haven't you?"
Not particularly helpful, is it?
This doesn't mean partners have to walk on eggshells.
It means communication matters.
Tell each other what's going on.
Ask what would help.
Be patient when patience is needed.

And remember that comments about someone's body, weight or appearance can hit particularly hard when they're already struggling with changes they don't fully recognise themselves.
And women — sometimes your partner isn't being deliberately insensitive. They genuinely may not understand.
So explain it. Talk about it. Let them in.

Because menopause doesn't have to become you versus him.
It can be both of you versus the bloody hormones. 😂❤️