Tuula Rasen BACP BPC FPC 

Psychotherapist Amelia White, who specialises in 'Boarding School Syndrome' (Schaverien, 2015), writes in her blog about the complexity of Mother's Day for ex-boarders recovering from childhood separation from their mothers : "Boarding school creates a rupture in the mother-child bond, and for many, that rupture remains unresolved into adulthood. Being sent away often severs the early sense of emotional safety and attachment, sometimes in ways that are never fully repaired. A

In her essay " Why Therapy Feels Worse Before It Gets Better: The Psychological Desert" , Berlin-based psychotherapist Sophie Frost explains how therapy can feel worse when meaningful change begins. "One of the most common things I hear from my patients is: “I thought therapy was supposed to make me feel better.” As a therapist, I cannot offer timelines or guarantees. I can only say that sometimes therapy feels worse before it gets better, and that this is not a failure, but

In her article "Why People Are Losing Trust in Psychotherapy" (03/2025), psychotherapist Selda Koydemir proposes that misconceptions and misguided practices risk undermining the core purpose of psychotherapy: fostering genuine self-understanding and lasting personal growth. Below are selected excerpts; the full article is linked at the end: “Many people enter therapy expecting comfort, validation, and emotional soothing. Some hope to be uplifted and reassured, while some ther

"Words are powerful containers of emotion. The act of putting thoughts and feelings into words transforms them, making them more...

"[W]hile AI can provide initial comfort, basic information, and even first-aid, it cannot replicate the transformative power of a genuine human therapeutic relationship. Authentic growth often occurs when individuals engage with the friction of differing perspectives, thoughtful challenges, and the profound, empathetic connection unique to human interaction." — J. E. Moyer, LPC ( Letters from a Psychotherapist ) Photograph by Evelina Friman

“Before I set out to travel this world, 12 years ago, I used to believe that the human race as a whole was basically a few steps above wolves. That given the slightest change in circumstances, we would all, sooner or later, tear each other to shreds. That we were, at root, self-interested, cowardly, envious and potentially dangerous in groups. I have since come to believe – after many meals with many different people in many, many different places – that though there is no sh

"B]eing able to tolerate disappointment in life, ourselves and others, is part of being a mature human being who is able to navigate the world and build something – relationships and a life of substance. It will not be perfect, but it will be real." — Mark Vahrmeyer Photograph by Nicolas Jossi

"When we are born, become a child, an adult, do you know what is enough to be enough? Existing. That’s it. A dependent baby is enough being a dependent baby, there is no shame in that, it’s enough to be a child, an adolescent, an adult. It’s enough just to be." — Philippa Perry, 2025. https://philippaperry.substack.com/p/ask-philippa-i-thought-success-would https://substack.com/@philippaperry

" You know that the price of life is death, that the price of love is loss, and still you watch the golden afternoon light fall on a face...