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Monday 9am - 9pm Tuesday 9am - 9pm Wednesday 9am - 9pm Thursday 9am - 9pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Kingsclere Counselling Service

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Kingsclere Counselling Service

We are a counselling service dedicated to providing high quality personal and professional support

16/11/2025

We are thrilled to welcome Joanne to the team here at Kingsclere Counselling Service.

Joanne brings previous experience with MIND and crisis support to her counselling career, works with many issues (including anxiety, depression and loss) and has a special interest in disordered eating and body dysmorphia.

She is available for appointments on Thursday afternoons - drop her an email if you would like more info or to book in!

joanne@kingsclerecounsellingservice.co.uk

14/10/2025

Yesterday Sharon May and Claire Nisbet participated in the Mental Health and Small Business one day conference on behalf of Kingsclere Counselling Service.

Sharon cohosted the day and chaired a panel on Mental Health and Medicine, and Claire was part of the panel discussing Mental Health and Movement from her perspective as therapist and "walk and talk" advocate.

It can be so hard when you are self employed or a small business owner as there are so may pressures and demands on your time leading to stress and burnout. Then other elements of life can throw a curveball such as loss, illness or caring for others - and it is really difficult to cope with those things when the business starts and stops with you.

This conference provides the opportunity to talk to others facing similar challenges - to help you realise you are not alone, and allows you to explore the services and people available to support you so that your business can thrive!

If you are a small business owner that would like support, please contact us. YOU are the part of your business most worth investing in! 💪

And keep the 12th Oct 2026 in your diary for the next one! 😉

10/10/2025

World Mental Health Day

What might surprise you is that for a change I am not advocating for MORE conversations about mental health. I like to think (hope?) that ball is rolling.... albeit better in some spaces than others!

My mission now is for Mental Health to not be a separate conversation - but for it to be threaded into EVERY conversation; whether that is relationship discussions, financial planning, work appraisals, parents evenings or government policy.

What can this look like? Well on a basic level:

Checking in on how others are feeling

Feeling supported enough to communicate needs

Greater human compassion to the struggles others may face

Listening to and accommodating the needs of others where possible

Less stigma and judgement of others whose experience is different to ours

More willingness to learn from others

Greater connection and collaboration in work / school / local communities as a result.

If you or someone you love needs support, please contact us and see how we can help

www.kingsclerecounsellingservice.co.uk

29/09/2025

Reflecting on Su***de Prevention Month 2025 as we reach the end of September.....

Partaking in the Baton of Hope Events in Basingstoke last week was particularly poignant. There was lots of emotional stories, inspirational speakers AND a real sense of hope. By raising awareness, normalising conversations about su***de and suicidal thoughts, we start to banish the shame and make it easier for those who are struggling to reach out for support.

I took away four key points...

CHECK IN: If you are worried about someone, or just get a sense that something is not quite right, try to ask the question. Even if the person you are asking denies or dismisses your question, it shows that you are willing to hear them when they are ready to open up and ask for help.

REACH OUT: If you are in a dark place yourself, and you have thought about harming yourself, please talk to someone - anyone! Friends, family member, boss, teacher, priest, medical professional, helpline. It doesn't matter who - just talk.

RAISE HOPE: When you care about someone - tell them! Remind people that they are valued, cherished and loved, in case they struggle to see that for themselves. If you have come through adversity, share that story with those who need to hear it because where they are feels so bleak.

LOWER STIGMA: Normalise talking about mental health difficulties and su***de. Change language to move away from words like "committed" which are tied to the shame associated with sin or illegality. Every death by su***de is a tragedy, and by making those conversations easier, lives will be saved.

We are here if you are seeking professional support, and don't forget these other organisations if you are in crisis:
SAMARITANS: 116 123
CALM: 0800 585858
PAPYRUS (young people): 0800 0684141
and NHS 111 or 999

And if you have lost someone you love to Su***de SOBS: 0300 111 5565

29/08/2025

It's very nearly September. Before our social media feeds become flooded with pictures of smiling faces by front doors - I just wanted to say that if it's not like that for you and your child, that's ok. Social media can make it seem like everyone else is nailing it, but if going back to school is difficult in your household YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Whilst some may be looking forward to seeing friends, welcoming routine and returning to clubs and activities, and parents might be relived that the summer work / childcare juggle is over for another year, the return to school can be really challenging for many.

If you know a young person that could do with some support, or perhaps you are finding it hard to deal with some of the the issues parenting and schooling brings, please get in touch and see how we can help.

14/08/2025

Today a tomato made me jump!
I have a fear of Spiders.... I HATE them!
When I caught sight of the top of a tomato (calyx - fun fact!) out the corner of my eye - I thought it was a spider and I panicked.

This is a great example of what happens with hypervigilance and anxiety.

🍅 Because I am so scared of spiders, my brain is constantly subconsciously scanning for them (hypervigilance).

🍅 It does this to try and protect me - to help me avoid being in a fearful unpleasant situation again.

🍅 On this occasion, it saw something it thought was a spider and hit the panic button

🍅 My body flooded with adrenaline in response and I ended up in a state of fear - a false alarm. All because of a tomato!

This is what anxiety does - it makes us hypervigilant, and our protective mechanism goes into overdrive leading to false alarms.

The anxiety might be around specific things or activities, or it might be to do with feelings or relationships. If we had a car accident, we may be anxious driving. If a past partner hurt us by cheating, we may be hypervigilant for signs a current partner might be lying.

This protective mechanism makes sense - which is also why being told not to worry when you are feeling anxious doesn't work - we have learnt from our past experience, and are trying to stop it from happening again.

The key is to acknowledge and thank that bit of our brain for trying to look after us - but also to find ways for it to come off high alert ALL the time. We can then allow ourselves to recognise a potential threat, and create space for investigation and assessment before panic. It's not easy, and requires understanding of the driving fear (which may not always be obvious) and frequent practice and support. We can help, so if you need support, please get in touch!

29/07/2025

I recently read a statistic (wish I could remember where!!) that if you are currently aged between 55 and 75 average life expectancy is well into your 90s. And a baby born today will likely live to 105!

We tend to have this slightly wonky belief (maybe it's wishful thinking!) that once we get older, we know everything and have life all figured out. However it doesn't always work like that; new problems, shifting priorities, and challenges around identity and purpose are common - and often hard to navigate without support.

Younger generations generally find conversations about emotional struggle easier, and are more likely to seek professional support, but that doesn't mean therapy isn't useful to those with more life experience. We are constantly evolving and change is always possible - I have worked with clients who have to come for support in their 80s!

So whether it's empty nests, rapidly (or not rapidly enough!) approaching retirement, a health diagnosis, relationship breakdown, career changes, bereavement, or adjusting to a new more "seasoned" identity - we can help with all these things and many more, whatever age you are!

Contact us for more details
www.kingsclerecounsellingservice.co.uk

Address

Robinson Cottage, Folly Farm
Basingstoke
RG265GJ

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 9pm
Tuesday	9am - 9pm
Wednesday	9am - 9pm
Thursday	9am - 9pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.kingsclerecounsellingservice.co.uk/

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