Soothing Conversations with Chantal

Soothing Conversations with Chantal I offer a gentle, safe, non-judgemental space where you can heal grief and trauma through art, talking therapy, and spiritual support. Always at your own pace.

When I was at the worst of my grief, I found it so hard to find the words. Luckily, I had an art practice and was able to dive in. When you book a session, you don't have to talk if it's too hard. We can start with doodles, marks on paper, or even traces of colour. Art has that ability to connect us to our emotions and I wouldn't be surprised if you found yourself creating something powerful, even if you have never seen yourself as an artist. The point is not for it to be pretty. It's to express what you cannot say with words. When the time is right, we can then move to more traditional speaking therapy. But also, we can go back and forth, depending on how you feel. One thing I do, which most other counsellors don't, is that I also create an energetic space where you are supported by angels so the whole process feels extra safe. And unlike spiritual counsellors, I have a solid training and undergo regular supervision. And if that wasn't enough, I can bring my aromatherapy knowledge into sessions as I know how powerful scents can be for both healing and bringing memories. You can choose what you like in what I offer. I never push anything on anyone. Gentleness, compassion, and absence of judgment are part of my core values. There are other modalities that I practice that are not listed here so feel free to ask. I am here to walk alongside you.

Grief isn't neat and tidy. It isn't linear. There is no neat timeline.It layers it self - layer upon layer. Without give...
31/03/2026

Grief isn't neat and tidy. It isn't linear. There is no neat timeline.

It layers it self - layer upon layer. Without given you time to breathe until the next wave overwhelms you.

Never underestimate how difficult it is to understand and process grief.

I know for me last year not only did my mother die but a dear friend where were meant to be visiting in Switzerland. My funded job came to end and how that was handled wasn't pleasant. I got sick.

It felt like what next. Each one was big in its own right.

This is why we need to be kind to ourselves. Loving. Compassionate. Caring. As it is exhausting mentally, physically, and emotionally.

People seem to think that when your loved one dies, they shouldn't mention their name or talk about them as it will make...
29/03/2026

People seem to think that when your loved one dies, they shouldn't mention their name or talk about them as it will make you sad.

This is further from the truth. We want to talk about them. In my case, my mother. Relate stories and memories. Hear their name.

Yes, tears may flow but that is part of the sharing and connecting. It is part of the process.

If there are tears, simply sit with us and be fully present.

Love to hear a story of your loved one.

Part of learning how to manage grief and trauma is the fact that you can slow down. You can pause. You can step away or ...
26/03/2026

Part of learning how to manage grief and trauma is the fact that you can slow down. You can pause. You can step away or continue on whatever you were doing.

This sense of agency is essential to your well-being. Essential to your growth. To your sense of safety, as what you find is that a traumatised nervous system, isn’t about the absence of discomfort. It’s about the presence of being in control.

Knowing how to manage yourself when you wobble. Knowing that it will right itself again. Knowing you can do this.

When you are grieving before your loved one’s final breath.Anticipatory grief is something we don’t talk about. In fact,...
23/03/2026

When you are grieving before your loved one’s final breath.

Anticipatory grief is something we don’t talk about. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed or had a name.

What I learnt from watching my late mother ever so slowly decline into dementia is how it showed up in my body.

deep fatigue or heaviness in the limbs
tightness in my chest or throat
shallow breathing, sighing without noticing
a restless vigilance, always scanning for change
numbness followed by sudden emotional surges
the unexpected need to cry

I had begun grieving well before I knew I had.

What is supportive for a grieving person is, no matter, where they are in their grief, is to be with them with all the f...
20/03/2026

What is supportive for a grieving person is, no matter, where they are in their grief, is to be with them with all the feels.

No judgement. No butting in. No trying to make it better. No trying to mitigate how they are feeling.

Simply listen. Simply be.

This helps the person to feel loved. Accepted. And to slowly open their tender heart.

Sometimes you need a quiet morning. No desire to do much. But rest and restore. Appreciating solitude and quietness.That...
19/03/2026

Sometimes you need a quiet morning.

No desire to do much.

But rest and restore.

Appreciating solitude and quietness.

That is what I am doing and reading a book under the cooling as it is another hot day here in Perth.

Grief stays because someone we love is absent.The love is still here.The memories are still here.The bond is still here....
18/03/2026

Grief stays because someone we love is absent.

The love is still here.
The memories are still here.
The bond is still here.

But the daily rituals are empty without them there. Who to have a chat with? To have a cuppa? To sit beside watching TV? To hug? To curl up to? To tease? To be annoyed at?

No, grief doesn't begin or end at the moment of death. It lingers. It is forever reminding us of our loved one. Until the day, we can remember them with joy and smiles as well as sadness.

As I began writing this, I realised I’ve been circling this topic for years. Some themes don’t leave us. They return, ag...
13/03/2026

As I began writing this, I realised I’ve been circling this topic for years. Some themes don’t leave us. They return, again and again, asking to be met with deeper honesty, new awareness, or a softened gaze.

I am learning that my place in the world is not dependent on an identifying marker. It lives in how I tend to my inner life, how I honour myself and my experiences, and how I remain present with myself rather than trying to make myself understandable to a system that values women narrowly. Belonging, I’m discovering, is not something we need to prove. It is something we practice.

https://open.substack.com/pub/chantalvanderhaeghen/p/the-belonging-i-thought-motherhood?r=2ioah9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Our first frangipanis in a few years. Love watching them open. Reminding me of the magic of nature and how everything is...
08/03/2026

Our first frangipanis in a few years.

Love watching them open.

Reminding me of the magic of nature and how everything is transitional.

Life. Death. Rebirth.

Grief is felt. I am feeling it right now as tomorrow is one year since my mother died.It hurts. My body is aching. My he...
04/03/2026

Grief is felt. I am feeling it right now as tomorrow is one year since my mother died.

It hurts. My body is aching. My heart has been cracked wide open.

It is initially difficult to comprehend that love changes form, and the spirit remains when you are missing your loved one being physically around.

You can't figure your way out of grief. You can find distractions but they don't last. You can read and nod your head knowingly.

Because grief is felt.

So today I am going to be with it. Light a candle and allow my body to feel.

Life goes on. People forget. They are in their own worlds. They won't remember. And why should they as they have no refe...
03/03/2026

Life goes on. People forget. They are in their own worlds. They won't remember. And why should they as they have no reference point?

But you do. You are still in the depths of grief. You are still just holding it together. Feeling the loss and lack of support that was given so freely and willingly in the beginning.

However, you are so overwhelmed with it all that you don't fully register what is going on as there is so much to do. There is no time to take stock of what has just happened - that your loved one has died.

Illogically, you wonder where are they all now? How do you reach out? Would they still be willing to support you and hear your pain? That is still raw and real.

I am also looking back and seeing this was me, too.

As the day gets closer, I am feeling it. More than I expected. I know that sounds bizarre. But that is how it is feeling. No escape. Unless, I was to medicate myself in whatever way to numb this last year - erase it from my consciousness. What it has meant. The other death experienced. And so much more.

There is no going around it. There is no pretending. It is about staying with it, allowing it to pass, feeling the feels, being with what is, and being able to see beauty in those unexpected daily moments.

Like this rose gifted to me at Mum's funeral which recently started to bloom with its gentle sweet scent. 🌹

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Perth, WA
6070

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Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm

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Allow your inner self to shine

Be gloriously, beautifully and confidently YOU

What if you no longer had to stand and watch your life go by?

What if you never ever had to feel invisible, unheard or not good enough again?

What if you truly felt like the heroine (and not just an extra) of your life?