Matthew Ritchie Counselling

Matthew Ritchie Counselling I am a Pluralistic Counsellor who offers counselling (online only) to people aged 16 years and over. I place safety at the heart of the work I do. What now? Perry

Being a Pluralistic Counsellor means I can draw from different modalities and theories that are unique and tailored to meet the needs of my clients. I am a Pluralistic Counsellor means I can draw from different modalities and theories that are unique and tailored to meet the needs of my clients in ways that are helpful to them. I do this by establishing an environment that is sympathetic, sensitiv

e, supportive and safe. I practice in ways that are non-judgmental, anti-discriminatory, collaborative and empathic. I will regularly consult with you to review and evaluate your counselling sessions with me. I endeavor to constantly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your counselling sessions with me. This is designed to make sure you are getting the best from your counselling sessions and are able to help shape the direction of your journey. You know what is best for you. We gain insight of the presenting issues when we review and evaluate your sessions together, making changes as you go, if required. What approaches do I use? I use a person-centered approach to establish and maintain a healthy working relationship with my clients from the outset, but can draw from a psychodynamic approach to explore how your past might be affecting how your life is right now. Talking is hugely important to my clients, but also gaining an understanding of how our bodies impact our thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours is important, too. This helps to establish a felt sense of safety during our counselling sessions and offers a foundation to explore your thoughts, emotions and feelings in a safe, empathic, supportive, and structured way. Being able to tell your story is important because it helps you to gain a better understanding of what it is that brought you to counselling in the first place. We will do this together. Contracting
We will work together to complete a contract during our first session, which sets out what you can expect from your counselling sessions with me. This contract will be the foundation of the work we do. The foundation of this contract is to establish a safe environment for you to explore what is important to you and is in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework. Other information
I helped establish the Fife College Counselling Network committee and am still an active member of this group. We organise meetings, talks, and events that promote best practice in counselling. I can also work with organisations to help them create and implement a working culture that is trauma informed and is trauma reducing in nature. If you think I can help you, please contact me to book a FREE 30 minute consultation. You can email me at matthewritchiecounselling@hotmail.com or telephone 07763420309. Your enquiry will be treated confidentially. The consultation appointment is not a counselling session, but a time to explore to establish if I am the right counsellor for you, and we can work together. If we establish we can meet the above, we will identify a suitable date and time for you to book your first counselling session with me. I have an enhanced PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) certificate awarded to me by Disclosure Scotland. I charge £40 for fifty minutes. Payment should be made within 24 hours of agreeing each session. I will provide you with the payment details on agreeing your first counselling session with me. Matthew

“People, not programmes, change people” – Dr Bruce D.

23/04/2026

“For those habituated to high levels of internal stress since early childhood, it is the absence of stress that creates unease, evoking boredom and a sense of meaninglessness.

People may become addicted to their own stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, Hans Selye observed. To such persons stress feels desirable, while the absence of it feels like something to be avoided”

~ Gabor Maté M.D.

21/04/2026

Tuesdays gift from me…..🙂

Connection is always the starting point, but there are other simple ways to help the nervous system calm quickly. Breath is a big one, slowing things down, especially the exhale, sends a strong safety signal to the body. Adding rhythm like rocking, walking, or repetitive movement helps organise everything. A bit of pressure, whether it’s a hug or leaning into something solid, can be really grounding. Even the eyes play a role, softening the gaze or slowly taking in the environment reduces that sense of threat. And tone matters too, a calm voice or even humming can shift the state. On their own these can help, but when they’re layered with connection, that’s when the nervous system really starts to let go.

Fridays gift…..Long, slow exhales are one of the quickest ways to tap into the vagus nerve and calm the system down. Try...
17/04/2026

Fridays gift…..

Long, slow exhales are one of the quickest ways to tap into the vagus nerve and calm the system down. Try a simple 4–4–8 breath, inhale for 4, hold for 4, then extend the exhale out to 8. The longer out breath is the key. It signals to your nervous system that the threat has passed, and it’s safe to shift out of survival mode and back into regulation.

Don’t forget, we are shaped by the environments we are in and the people we are around. Threats come from numerous sources so, the key here is to take notice of what your body is telling you. The body keeps the score.

14/04/2026

When you are traumatised, abused, neglected, you start developing heartache and gut wrench as it gets expressed somewhere in the midline of your body. That's where trauma is experienced.

08/04/2026

“The essence of trauma is a disconnect from the self. Therefore the essence of healing is not just uncovering one's past, but reconnecting with oneself in the present.”

Gabor Maté

31/03/2026

Trauma disrupts the autonomic nervous system, shifting the body out of balance and into patterns of survival rather than safety. This can show up as dysregulation, reactivity, or shutdown, but these are responses, not definitions. Trauma is something the body has experienced, not something a person is. It shapes patterns, not identity.

26/03/2026

This is a powerful exercise that hits the vagus nerve through movement, breath, and pressure all at once. Start standing and do 30–45 seconds of strong, rhythmic shaking through the arms and legs (like you’re trying to flick water off your body), then immediately drop down onto your back, hug your knees tightly into your chest and take a deep nasal breath in. As you breathe out slowly, lift your head and curl into a ball, holding gentle pressure for 5 seconds, then fully release and let your body go heavy. Repeat this 5–6 times. Finish by rolling slowly side to side with long, slow exhales, letting your body unwind. This works because you’re first discharging built-up stress, then creating deep compression and release through the trunk sending a powerful signal of safety through the vagus nerve that the threat has passed and the body can finally switch off and relax.

12/03/2026

Working through the tongue is an easy way to interact with the vagus nerve and help bring the parasympathetic system (rest and digest) back online.

Gently press your tongue into your left cheek and hold for about 10 seconds, then switch to the right side for another 10. Let the jaw relax as you do this, no clenching. The teeth can gently touch or hover, whatever feels natural, but keep the jaw relaxed. I usually suggest rolling the tongue slightly until a deep, spontaneous sigh shows up. When it does, that’s the nervous system letting go. You may also yawn or feel a release through the face and neck.

You’re not really doing much, yet the body responds. That’s the nervous system recognising safety and settling. Do this 4–5 times.

10/03/2026

If your nervous system never experiences silence, it never learns safety. Ten minutes a day. No phone. No TV. No music. No distractions. This is nervous system rewiring.

Try this exercise: Sit or lie comfortably in complete silence with your eyes closed. Without changing your breath or posture, bring your attention inward and slowly scan your body for areas that feel neutral or quiet, not tense, not relaxed, just steady. When you find one, rest your awareness there for 20–30 seconds before moving to another area. Notice any natural internal rhythms such as your breathing, heartbeat, or swallowing without trying to control them. If the urge to fidget or reach for your phone arises, simply observe it and stay present. After 10 minutes, open your eyes slowly and re-orient to the room. This practice reduces sensory load and teaches the nervous system to experience safety without external input.

07/03/2026

Feeling anxious?

Next time you are feeling anxious, open your mouth as wide as you can and say the letter R with it wide open. Do this 3 or 4 times, this should cause you to yawn activating your parasympathetic nervous system which helps you calm down.

27/02/2026

“Healing isn't a straight line. It's messy. It's two steps forward and three steps back. It's good days and terrible days and days where you don't know which one it is. It's progress that's invisible. It's growth you can't measure. It's showing up even when you don't want to.
You'll have a breakthrough and then a breakdown. You'll feel strong and then completely fall apart. You'll think you're healed and then get triggered by something small. And you'll wonder if you're even making progress at all.

But you are. Healing isn't about never being triggered. It's about recovering faster when you are. It's not about never having hard days. It's about handling them differently than you used to. It's not about being perfect. It's about being a little bit better than you were yesterday. Or last week. Or last year.

So stop measuring your healing by how "over it" you are.

Measure it by how you're showing up. By the boundaries you're setting. By the patterns you're breaking. By the grace you're giving yourself. That's healing. Even when it doesn't feel like it.”

~ Jacqueline Whitney

25/02/2026

Breath is a direct pathway to our autonomic nervous system, making it both a regulating resource and an activator of our survival states.

-Deb Dana, LSW

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Unit 7/207-211 High Street
Kirkcaldy
KY11JD

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Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Sunday 9am - 9pm

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