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Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 6pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 2pm

Sonja Marga Integrative Counsellor

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Middlewich
Sonja Marga Integrative Counsellor

I am an Integrative Counsellor and a registered member of the BACP (MBACP 396398), working in Cheshire Countryside.

I am within easy access of Middlewich, Sandbach and Winsford.

25/02/2026

As a parent, our instinct is to protect our children. But part of protecting our child is slowly preparing them to face the world by themselves.
We guide them through weaning, and toilet training as a matter of course. Yet teaching them how to navigate people, boundaries and hidden risks is much harder. We cannot protect them forever. And if we try we can sometimes limit them too - limiting their confidence and independence. Finding the balance between protection and preparation isn't always easy.
In my counselling practice, I support parents exploring how anxiety, attachment and past experiences shape the way they protect and prepare their children. When you step in to protect your child, is it their anxiety you are soothing or your own?

24/02/2026

Many parents sit quietly with the fear that they are not doing enough. Not present enough. Not sacrificing enough.
Society often tells mothers that constant availability equals good parenting. But children need connection, not exhausted self-erasure. A parent who feels valued, stimulated and emotionally regulated is better able to offer a calm, secure presence.
Guilt and shame can fuel anxiety, especially when our own upbringing shapes unrealistic expectations.
In my counselling practice, I support parents exploring how their past experiences, attachment patterns and nervous systems influence family life. You don't have to untangle it alone.

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22/02/2026

Children learn to understand the world by watching the adults around them. Anxiety, confidence, responsibility, and empathy are often modelled before they are taught. When adults provide calm responses and clear boundaries children feel safe and so learn how to manage their emotions. When an adult is overwhelmed or themselves anxious it can be harder to provide what a child actually needs in the moment.
If your child is struggling with anxiety or school difficulties counselling may help you find a way forward. Feel free to get in touch to find out if I can help you.

❤️

19/02/2026

Sometimes anxiety in children doesn't look like worry - it looks like refusals, tantrums, or "difficult" behaviour. When we are very close to a situation, it can be really hard to see why a child is acting in a certain way. Or how we can help. Clear, calm boundaries alongside understanding often helps a child feel safe enough to self-regulate. If your child is struggling with behaviour or school avoidance, anxiety may be part of the problem. Support can help both children and families understand what is really going on.

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12/02/2026

Children don't yet have the skills to manage overwhelming emotions. They need to borrow ours. When adults stay calm, children stay calm. And when we struggle, they struggle too.
Most of us parent by using the lessons we learnt in our past. Sometimes this "programming" makes us react in ways we later regret. But change is possible. With awareness and support we can learn new ways of responding.
Not every child grows up with safety, and the impact can last into adulthood.
So if you are finding parenting, past experiences or your emotional reactions hard to manage, you don't have to face it alone.

10/02/2026

When we are babies we don't realise at first that we are a separate person from our mum. But we do learn it, and then comes the separation anxiety. But with love we can also learn that separation is often followed by reunion. That is how safety is built.
But when separations are sudden, or without reassurance, anxiety expands. Fostered children, for example, are asked to cope with the loss of their birth family and the only home they have known, without understanding why. Even though it is in their best interests.
Strong attachment isn't clinginess. It's the foundation that allows children - and later adults - to feel safe in what can be a very frightening world.
If separation or attachment feels difficult, it might be worth talking about why.

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❤️

07/02/2026

For some children school transitions can be exciting. But for others, they are frightening, confusing or overwhelming.
Moving schools, starting something new, or entering a large High School can trigger intense anxiety - especially for children that are sensitive, neurodivergent, or carry earlier experiences of fear or loss. When the school system expects everyone to adapt no matter what, some children are left struggling.
Difficulty such as this isn't failure. It's a child needing more support, more safety, and more understanding.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

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06/02/2026

Yesterday my social feed was filled with material from the Epstein Files that was deeply disturbing. Even for those of us that are fairly well grounded, some things are simply too much to take.
It's heartbreaking to know that such harm exists, and that power, position and money can protect the monsters who abused those children. I want to be clear that I stand with the victims - always.
At the same time, I hold on to a quote from Mr Fred Roger - "look for the helpers". They will be there, even if they feel hard to find sometimes.
If what you have heard or seen has unsettled you, you are not weak. You are a human and kind.

05/02/2026

We talk about how it takes a village to raise a child - but what if it is missing?
For single parents, or those fleeing domestic violence, or immigrants in a strange new country, or those far from their beloved extended family, life can feel painfully lonely. Children sense this isolation. Anxiety grows when there are fewer safe adults, fewer familiar faces, or no shared language.
And anxiety cuts deeply. It can shape how a child sees themselves and the world.
If this speaks to your situation, please know you are not alone. You are welcome to reach out and talk.

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02/02/2026

Some anxiety in a child is part of healthy development. Separation anxiety in young children often just means that there is a strong, secure bond with parents or carers.
But sometimes anxiety grows when the world feels too big.
Moving from a small familiar primary school to a large High school can be overwhelming. New buildings, unfamiliar teachers, harder subjects, busy corridors, and complex social rules can make children feel lost. Confidence can slip - "not good enough, not clever enough, not popular enough......"
If any of this sounds familiar, or reminds you of your own child, you don't have to manage alone. Support can make a real difference.

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31/01/2026

Healing doesn't mean you go back to how it was before.
If you break a bone it takes weeks to heal - and even after that, it may ache in the cold. The bone isn't broken anymore, but it is changed. Trauma is similar. You've lived through it and you are forever changed.
Counselling doesn't erase the past. What it can do is help you to realise you are safe now even if memories or triggers still appear. Those triggers don't mean you are failing. They just mean you survived. And maybe, with help, you can live with them more gently.

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Address

The Cottage Cattery, School Lane, Occlestone Green
Middlewich
CW100LY

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 2pm

Website

https://www.sonjamargacounsellor.com/

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