Suspicious Minds

Who's on the podcast? In this episode Jo speaks to Josephine Hughes, a Counsellor in private practice based in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex. Together with her private practice, Josephine has developed her Good Enough Mum work, to support women who struggle to feel 'good enough', not just in their parenting but in their lives generally. Josephine also manages a Facebook group called Good Enough Counsellors, which developed out of her Good Enough Mum work. More details can be found below. What's the topic? Do you feel that things in your life need to be 'perfect'? Do you feel the need to be the top-performing employee, an exceptional parent, or to get A-grades in all your exams? What might it be like if you didn't achieve these things? What would that mean for you? As much as we might strive to be perfect this is not really something that can be defined, not to mention the fact that perfectionism can leave us tied up in mental and emotional knots, and take away our enjoyment and appreciation of the 'here and now'. During the podcast, we reference two books by Brene Brown called The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly. Also, here is a link to the poem Wild Geese by Mary Oliver which Josephine talks about. In this episode we talk about: What Perfectionism is and the ways we might develop it Josephine's own experiences of trying to be 'perfect' How people can let go of perfectionism and begin to embrace their vulnerability and fallibility as human beings Contact Josephine If you'd like to find out more about Josephine's private counselling practice then check out her Facebook page, or you can visit her website Talk2Jo. Josephine's Facebook page for The Good Enough Mum can be found here and you can also visit her website. If you're a counsellor and want to check out Josephine's Good Enough Counsellors Facebook group then click here. Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Who's on the podcast? In this episode Jo speaks to Jane Travis, a Counsellor in private practice based in Lincoln. Jane also set up and manages the Grow Your Private Practice Club for therapists in private practice, to help them get the best out of their business. More details can be found below. What's the topic? Have you ever been offered a job or entered into a relationship and had the sudden thought that, at any moment, you might be "found out" and that you don't deserve the job or to be in the relationship? Have you ever started seeing a Counsellor, only to think that you're a fraud and that your problems aren't as "bad" as other people's? Or, perhaps these thoughts have prevented you from even seeing a Counsellor in the first place? If so, it sounds like you might have experienced Imposter Syndrome. In this episode we talk about: What Imposter Syndrome is and the sorts of situations that may trigger it Jane's own experiences of Imposter Syndrome Ways that people can manage Imposter Syndrome. Contact Jane If you'd like to find out more about Jane's private counselling practice then check out her Facebook page, or you can visit her website Reflections Counselling. If you're a Counsellor in private practice and want to know more about promoting your practice then you can go to the Grow Your Private Practice Facebook page and Jane's website Grow Your Private Practice. Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Who's on the podcast? In this episode Jo talks to Zoe Hinett, a Counsellor in private practice at Sticks And Stones Counselling based in South East London. Zoe works with a lot of people who have difficulties with negative thought patterns and works with them to develop ways of managing them more effectively. Zoe also writes blog posts on this subject. What's the topic? For people who struggle with anxiety, they may or may not be aware when they're having unhelpful negative thoughts. If they can catch the unhelpful thoughts when they're happening, they can potentially help to reduce their anxiety. In this episode we talk about: The different types of unhelpful thinking patterns The triggers to unhelpful thinking, and their impact The STOPP method of managing unhelpful thinking patterns from the Get Self-Help website Related posts 5 Ways To Manage Negative Thinking The Process Of Negative Thinking 6 Questions To Challenge Negative Anxious Thoughts Contact Zoe If you'd like to find out more about Zoe's private practice then check out her Facebook and Twitter accounts, and you can also visit her website Sticks And Stones Counselling. Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Who's on the podcast? In this episode of the podcast Jo speaks to Sarah Felton who is a Counsellor in private practice based in Bradford, West Yorkshire.  What's the topic? Sarah talks about her work with clients who are struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is defined as "...a common mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours" (NHS). During the podcast, Sarah draws upon the book 'Brain Lock' by Jeffrey M. Schwartz. In this episode we talk about: What OCD is and the reasons why people suffer with it. Sarah's ways of working with clients with OCD. Contact Sarah If you'd like to find out more about Sarah's private practice then check out her Facebook and Twitter pages or you can visit her website Sarah Felton Counselling. Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Who's on the podcast? In this episode of the podcast Jo talks to Kev Cullinan who, as well as being a huge advocate for yoga and passionate about his music, has also struggled with his mental health. What's the topic? Whilst there is increasing awareness surrounding male mental health, there are still pervading views in society that men "should be strong" and "shouldn't show emotion" which only serve to isolate men further and increase their risk of suffering in silence. On the Mental Health Foundation website it's reported by the Office for National Statistics that there were 5,821 suicides recorded in Great Britain in 2017, and 75% were male. Furthermore, suicide is the most common cause of death in men aged  20-49 years' old in England and Wales. Kev discusses his struggles with anxiety and depression, and about his journey into developing his own ways of managing his mental health. In this episode we talk about: What it means to be a male with mental health difficulties Kev's experiences in disclosing his problems to mental health professionals The coping skills and strategies that Kev uses to help manage his mental health Related posts Why It's Difficult For Men To Talk About Mental Health Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Who's on the podcast? In this first episode of the podcast Jo talks to Sarah Blunden, who is a Counsellor in private practice in Stoke-on-Trent. Sarah also works at a local charity counselling children. What's the topic? It seems as though there are a lot more pressures on young people these days; this might be linked to things like social media and/or the need to do well in school. Whatever the reason, these pressures can increase their feelings of anxiety and worry. The Mental Health Foundation states that 70% of children and young people who experience mental health problems have not received support at a sufficiently early age, so it seems pertinent that young people receive the support they need as early as possible. In this episode we talk about: Sarah's work with children and young people and the sorts of issues that can cause them anxiety How Sarah works with children and young people to explore their anxieties Ways that children and young people can manage their anxieties more effectively. Live Minds: Young people's telephone service North Staffordshire Mind now have a young people's telephone service called Live Minds for children and young people aged 11-18 years' old living in Stoke on Trent. The service is available to call free of charge on Wednesdays 4pm-8pm and Thursdays 4pm-9pm. The number is 0800 0051 445. Please note that the service is not a crisis line. Contact Sarah If you'd like to find out more about Sarah then check out her Facebook page, or you can visit her website Sarah Blunden Counselling. Thank you for listening Thank you for supporting the podcast, it means a lot to us that you're listening. If you enjoyed this episode please share it using the social share buttons on this page. If you have any comments, or suggestions for future podcast episodes then please feel free to get in touch :) We'd also appreciate it if you'd review the show and leave a rating for the podcast in iTunes, and this helps it to reach a wider audience. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure you keep up to date with the latest episodes.

Welcome to the trailer for my new podcast, Suspicious Minds, where we explore the impact of mental health and explore how we can manage ours better. I'm Dr Jo Robinson, a Psychologist. This first season of the podcast has 6 episodes which, this season, focus on anxiety. They include episodes on: imposter syndrome, perfectionism, unhelpful negative thoughts, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a male perspective of mental health, and anxiety in children and young people. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast. The first episode will be coming early in January 2019!