Clare Findlay Therapy

22/10/2025

Every time I’ve felt powerless in my life, I’ve also been tired, and usually, I’ve been alone.
There’s this image people have of psychotherapists -that we’re calm, middle-class folk with tidy offices, loads of letters after our name, and our proverbial stuff well and truly together.
That somehow, we've transcended the mess.
The truth is, that’s not my story.
I’m a working-class woman and mother of three. My Granny cleaned floors in a biscuit factory, my Granda was a roofer, and I’ve carried their graft in my bones my whole life.
I’ve lived a lot of lives already.
Moved house more times than I can count, had a fair few jobs, and worn a lot of hats.
I’m not widely travelled, but I’ve travelled far.
And although the wolf isn’t quite at the door anymore, I still feel this generational fingerprint on me. A nervous-system alertness that struggles to rest, even when life is good.
It’s the part of me that double-checks the locks, feels like the police will be at the door when I do my tax return, and checks my passport’s still in my bag at airports.
Now, there’s another trope about therapists , that we either say nothing about ourselves, these blank slates who nod politely while you pour your soul out…with...the long...pauses....that...get...so...awkward.
Or we go the other way, and tell you our whole life story, hoping it somehow helps, like an old pal on a Friday night.
Personally, I think the truth lives somewhere in the middle.
Sometimes, parts of me meet parts of you. Sometimes our stories overlap, and other times they don’t, but it’s the meeting that matters.
That’s where therapy starts.
Not in analysis or clever theories, but in simple, human recognition.
I came to therapy later in life, after I’d had my children and when the dust had settled.
Things were good. I wasn’t trying to fix anything dramatic, I just felt this pull.
I wanted to stand next to people when life got heavy , so you can catch your breath and rest for a bit.
That’s what brings me here, with my wee suitcase full of life experience, a psychotherapy qualification, and probably too many book ideas.
I’m here, ready to meet you where you are.
For now, you don’t have to be anywhere else.
If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch.

21/10/2025

Where in your life do you make yourself small to make everyone else comfortable?
I looked at this and wanted to say you should put yourself first.

Something in me said 'it's not that easy though'.
We have so many roles in our lives, so many obligations, we can't put ourselves first. In fact, we are conditioned to not consider ourselves at all.
The caretaker role is a strong one.
Applauded for 'getting on with it' , no one notices that we may be silently drowning in tasks.
Even the smallest amount of space can feel like a luxury.

So this is your invitation to look at where you can take up a bit more space.
Even a teensy smidge.
A corner of the living room so you can read a book (or doom scroll) on the nice chair with the nice view.
Buying the fancy cup to have tea in.
Digging out the coat you're keeping for a special occasion.
Deciding to not go to that thing this evening because you just don't want to.
This is a gentle reminder to take your place here because you matter.

If you'd like someone to remind you how much you matter, I currently have a few spaces for therapy clients both online and at Croía Medispa in Bank Street, Kilmarnock

21/04/2025

Now in the clinic at CROIA Medispa. Get booked in to have ears as clean as a whistle.

11/03/2025

How do you feel?

The dreaded question a lot of us struggle with.

When you grow up in a home where expressing emotions feels unsafe, that ability is quickly suppressed.

When your feelings are consistently dismissed, minimised, or ignored, you learn a painful lesson: your emotions don't matter, and no one will listen.

In the void left by silenced feelings, the mind takes over. It becomes a tireless evaluator, calculating the 'safest' or 'best' course of action.

This strategy, while initially helpful, especially for simple decisions, falters as life's complexities increase.

The constant barrage of thoughts becomes overwhelming, an orchestra of 'what ifs' and 'should haves'. Add to this the demands of daily life – work, family, responsibilities – and your mind can easily spiral into a state of analysis paralysis, thinking itself into oblivion. And also, you can end up an expert at managing everything, and feeling nothing.

So, where do we go from there?

In therapy, we turn to the body.

Your body holds the key to your authentic emotional experience, a signature of your true self.

It might manifest as a subtle sensation, a tingle, a heaviness.

We approach these sensations with curiosity, following a trail of breadcrumbs back to the feelings that lie beneath the layers of learned suppression.

Before external voices told you your emotions were invalid, before 'common sense' began to dictate your experience, there was a genuine feeling.

We rediscover that.

If you are interested in finding out more about the process, send me a message.

17/02/2025

A few weeks ago I joined Gemma at Paton Media for The Hype Club podcast. I got a chance to talk about therapy in a bit more depth. We speak about, overwhelm, burnout as a business owner, the nervous system and ways in which you can find micro rests. She is a lovely lassie and she offers loads of different media options for small businesses. This podcast is also great because it gives a platform to hype up another business and I chose CROIA Medispa.

Give it a listen if you’d like to know more, and please share this if you can. It really makes a difference to getting the word out there.

Hype Club · Episode

07/02/2025

Just found this small brand and I love the message of this.

28/01/2025

New Therapy appointment dates released at Kilmarnock Clinic.

I am a fully qualified and insured integrative psychotherapist with experience in a range of issues.

We all encounter challenging periods in life that can be distressing. Sometimes, seeking support from someone outside our immediate circle can be incredibly valuable.

If you have considered exploring therapy, please get in touch.

You can find more information on my website

Clare Findlay Therapy - Experience professional psychotherapy in Kilmarnock. Book a session to address emotional distress, relationships, trauma, and more.

24/01/2025

Hope everyone is wrapped up well in the house, stay inside. It’s crackers out there. ❤️

21/01/2025

A wee introduction.. more to come… exciting times.

18/01/2025

❤️

CROIA (Cree-ah)

Meaning & pronunciation!

Most of you maybe not know that we started work well over a year ago to renovate 16-22 Bank street, which is now our beautiful two story health & wellness centre.

It took forever to choose a name that suited perfectly, was meaningful to us & that we both loved!

Some of you that know us well will know we have two beautiful children each with names of Irish origin, so it felt right our fifth baby had one too.

CROIA was the name we kept going back to, it was meaningful to what we want to achieve & how we want our clients to feel when visiting the Medispa, that they are cared about, appreciated & have some self love!

We hope you love it as much as we do! 🤎

14/01/2025

A beautiful street and a beautiful space.
“Croia” translated means “little heart”.
This space made perfect sense for embarking on this new adventure.
I’m delighted to be part of the team here.