Open Tabs

Open Tabs Qualified counsellor and psychotherapist for both adults and children over 5.

1 free of charge 6 session block now available these will be held online.Those who have sent previous enquiries should h...
19/04/2026

1 free of charge 6 session block now available these will be held online.

Those who have sent previous enquiries should have been notified of spaces over the weekend.

Thankyou for your patience!

04/04/2026

Free of charge 6 session spaces available from the week of the 20th April.

Please note that session day and time will change each week.

Please get in touch via email only for interest in the no charge sessions.

27/03/2026

Here's what young people had to say about the support they received from Rise Up, our young people's service. 🧡

When accessing our service, know you don't need to tell us all the details of what happened to you. We move at your pace and discuss what you want to discuss. We exist to provide space for your story to be held and heard.

We are here to believe you, to listen to you & to support you. 🌿✨

26/03/2026

✨ A new chapter ✨

Over the years working in care, I’ve seen how hard it can be for families to find the right support.

Not just care, but care that feels safe, consistent, and genuinely compassionate.

Across Moray there’s a growing need. Families are stretched, waiting lists are long, and too often people are left feeling like they have to manage on their own.

I’ve seen the worry.
The exhaustion.
The feeling of wanting to do everything for someone you love… but not always being able to.

That’s what led me here.

I’ve made the decision to start working independently within community care! To offer something more personal, more reliable, and more consistent.

I’ll be starting over the next few months, and I’m beginning to connect with families now ahead of that.

Because care, to me, is about more than tasks.
It’s about dignity.
It’s about trust.
It’s about giving families the space to breathe a little easier, knowing someone is there who genuinely cares.

With experience in senior roles I bring not only hands-on care, but an understanding of the standards people should be able to rely on.

I offer:
• Personal care
• Medication support
• Hospital discharge support
• Companionship & community care

PVG checked, Fully insured, first aid trained, and continuing to build on my skills and qualifications.

If you or someone you love may need support, now or in the near future, please feel free to get in touch.

And if you could share this, it might just reach someone who needs it more than you realise 🤍

Alex
Guiding Light Moray

I like to explain our thinking as three main parts of our brain. the reptilian part, which is the oldest part of our bra...
20/03/2026

I like to explain our thinking as three main parts of our brain. the reptilian part, which is the oldest part of our brain responsible for fight flight and freeze. If you think about a snake under threat, it will often choose to attack, camouflage or stay perfectly still.

The mammalian part, responsible for deciding friend or foe.

Lastly the thinking cap, responsible for every other decision we make.

In some situations big or small, the thinking cap might come off - responsible for rational thinking. In turn the mammalian part switches off, who do I trust? Lastly we survive on our oldest instinct, fight, flight or freeze. This post also explains a little about some other responses.

12/03/2026

🌟 Fantastic Free Support for Parents in Moray! 🌟
Parenting can be challenging — but you don’t have to navigate it alone 💛
The Parent Project Moray, delivered by Exchange Counselling, offers free online and face‑to‑face workshops for parents and carers of children aged 4–18. It’s a brilliant local resource designed to help families understand and support their young people’s wellbeing.
Their workshops cover a wide range of topics, including:
• Anxiety, panic & worries – understanding signs and learning practical strategies
• Confidence & self‑esteem – supporting your child to develop positive inner strengths
• Stress & emotional overload – helping children recognise and regulate overwhelming feelings
• Self‑harm & harming others – recognising behaviours and responding safely with supportive strategies
• Neurodiversity – guidance to help parents understand and support diverse needs
• EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance) – understanding the emotional factors behind school avoidance, and exploring approaches that help children feel safe and supported in their return to learning.
All support is completely free, thanks to funding from Moray Council, and can be accessed through simple self‑referral.
👉 Find out more or make a referral here:
https://www.exchange-counselling.com/the-parent-project-moray
Let’s help spread the word so more families can benefit from this brilliant resource 💙
Health and Social Care Moray Exchange Wellbeing NHS Grampian

international woman’s day, 2026. - Author unknown
08/03/2026

international woman’s day, 2026.

- Author unknown

01/03/2026

With the events of the last two days in global news, we wanted to share some support from psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg.

“The emotional alarm system (of the adolescent brain) is highly active, while the part of the brain responsible for perspective and long-range reasoning is still under construction.

When young people see footage of bombings or hear talk of escalation, they are not calmly analysing foreign policy. They are asking a far more personal question: is the world becoming unsafe?”

When parents say nothing, teenagers often fill the silence themselves — and adolescents are remarkably good at imagining worst-case scenarios. Silence, in this context, is not neutral.
It can be frightening.

The instinct for many adults is either to lecture or to reassure too quickly. Neither works. A long explanation about who is right or wrong politically will lose them within seconds, while dismissing the situation with "this has nothing to do with us" feels unconvincing in a world where conflict arrives live on their screens.

Teenagers are highly sensitive to emotional authenticity; they know when adults are pretending certainty they do not actually feel.

A better starting point is simple: "You’re probably seeing/hearing about this online — how is it making you feel”?

That question shifts the conversation away from ideology and towards wellbeing, which is where parents actually have influence. It signals safety, invites reflection and reduces anxiety far more effectively than delivering answers.

Young people also need perspective.
Social media often compresses the world into an emergency, showing dramatic moments without context or resolution. Parents can gently remind them that news platforms highlight crisis because crisis captures attention, while billions of people - diplomats, communities and ordinary citizens — are constantly working to prevent conflicts from spreading. Adolescents need scale to counter the distorted intensity of the online environment.”

We hope this is helpful today. If you feel as though you are pouring out of an empty cup this weekend that’s totally understandable - we hope you get a moment to rest and check in with friends and can also recommend https://www.breathingspace.scot/

I currently don’t have any spaces left but please get in touch if you want to wait. In the next few months spaces will b...
26/02/2026

I currently don’t have any spaces left but please get in touch if you want to wait. In the next few months spaces will be limited to Thursdays and Fridays and some evenings.

I do have a free 6 session coming to an end in the next few weeks and will post here when that is available.

Thankyou all for your patience and referrals!

You’re still full of fire, and I believe you can find it again 🌟
23/02/2026

You’re still full of fire, and I believe you can find it again 🌟

19/02/2026

Apologies my listed contact number isn’t working right now until EE sort me out. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via message or over email (which I do have access too!)

Thankyou!

It’s shrove Tuesday. I hope you manage to flip those thoughts today 🥞
17/02/2026

It’s shrove Tuesday. I hope you manage to flip those thoughts today 🥞

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Elgin
IV30

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+447782663027

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