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Emotional Respite - Disability Counselling Service

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United Kingdom
Newcastle upon Tyne
Emotional Respite - Disability Counselling Service

Disability-led Online Mental Health Service offering therapy across the UK. She has created a team of therapists with lived experience of disability.

Emotional Respite is a counselling service providing professional support to individuals with physical disabilities, their families and carers. It offers those affected by physical disabilities a unique opportunity to work with a physically disabled counsellor. Helen Rutherford has been a counsellor for over 14 years and has spinal muscular atrophy and uses an electric wheelchair. Her personal and professional experience gives her a deep understanding of the diversity of disability issues. Helen is aware of the challenges faced by people affected by physical disabilities and how this can impact on them emotionally. Sessions are conducted online. Sessions are £45 an hour but concessions are available for low incomes

27/02/2026

"Staying positive doesn't mean you have to be happy all the time.
It means that even on hard days you know that there are better ones coming."

Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to smile through everything.

It doesn’t mean pretending you’re okay.

It doesn’t mean ignoring the hard days.

It means trusting that the hard days aren’t the final chapter.

It means allowing yourself to feel, to rest, to process, while still believing that brighter moments are ahead. 🌤️

You’re allowed to have off days.
You’re allowed to struggle.
Just don’t forget: better days are coming. 💜

Appointments Available!
Emotionalrespite.co.uk

23/02/2026

🌿 The 5 Pillars of Wellbeing

✨ Supporting your happiness, your way, at your pace

Pillar 1: Connect
🤝 Connect (In Ways That Work for You)

Meaningful connection doesn’t have to be constant or in-person.
A voice note. A message. An online support group.

Strong connections = strong support system. 💞

💡 Connection counts, even on low-energy days.

Pillar 2: Be Active
💪 Be Active (Within Your Energy Limits)

Movement looks different for everyone.
Stretching in bed. Gentle physio. Wheelchair mobility. Breathing exercises.

Movement can boost mood and confidence, without pushing beyond your limits. ✨

Tip:
You don’t need hours, even 2–5 minutes counts. 🕒

💛 Rest is productive too.

Pillar 3: Take Notice 🌿

Living with chronic illness can pull your focus to symptoms.
Taking notice helps you reconnect with the present moment, gently.

Mindfulness can reduce stress and help you feel more grounded. 🍃

Pause. Breathe.
Notice 3 things you can see and 3 you can hear. 👀👂

💡 You are more than your condition.

Pillar 4: Keep Learning
✍️ Keep Learning (At Your Own Pace)

Learning doesn’t have to be big or intense.
Audiobooks. Podcasts. A short tutorial. Trying a new adaptive skill.

Learning keeps your mind engaged and builds confidence. 🎯

Inspiration:
“Growth isn’t about speed, it’s about curiosity.” 🌈

Pillar 5: Give
🌞 Give (Within Your Capacity)

Kindness doesn’t have to be physical or time-intensive.
A supportive comment. Sharing your story. Offering understanding.

Your empathy is powerful. 💕

“You make a difference just by showing up as you.” 🌷

✨ Small actions. Big impact.

Some days your “best” will look different, and that’s okay.
Start small. Adjust as needed.

Your wellbeing journey is uniquely yours. 💫

Which pillar feels most supportive for you right now?

14/02/2026

💖Sending Love This Valentine’s Day 💖

Today, love comes in many forms, and if you’re struggling, know that you are seen, you are valued, and you are not alone.

This is for:

❤️ Those who are alone
Your worth isn’t defined by your relationship status. You are loved, just as you are.

💙 Those looking for love
Your time will come, and until then, you deserve kindness, joy, and self-love.

💚Those missing someone
Whether through distance, loss, or change, your love is real, and your feelings are valid.

💜 Those healing from heartbreak
You will not feel like this forever. Brighter days are ahead.

💛 Those struggling with mental health
Your battle is unseen but important. You are strong, and you deserve support.

💗 Those who don’t feel loved today
Love exists for you, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now. You are enough.

No matter where you are today, you are worthy of love, care, and gentleness. Sending you warmth and kindness. 💕

emotionalrespite.co.uk

05/02/2026

Today is 💬

A reminder that talking really does help, whether it’s a quick check-in, a deep chat, or simply saying “I’m not okay.”

Let’s make space for honest conversations, today and every day. 💙

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

02/02/2026

Voices I Carry With Me

Some words stay with you because they tell the truth.

You're not broken.
Rest is resistance.
Access is a right.

Community reminds us of what isolation tries to erase.

Tag a that voice in the comments that's helped you feel less alone.

www.emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

30/01/2026

Adaptive Tools & Mental Health

Some days your mental health isn't protected by motivation or discipline, it's protected by tools.

Not because you're weak. Not because you "can't cope." But because your nervous system needs support, not pressure.

Practically, tools help reduce the invisible load. Noise-cancelling headphones can quiet a world that feels too loud. Visual timers can make time feel less overwhelming. Notes, reminders, and lists can hold information when your mind feels foggy. Comfort items can ground your body when anxiety spikes.

These tools don't remove effort, they contain it. They create structure when things feel chaotic. They lower the cost of
everyday life.

Therapeutically, tools do something deeper. They send a message to your brain: you are allowed to be supported. They interrupt shame. They replace "push harder" with "what would help right now?"

Using tools is an act of self-attunement. It's listening instead of overriding. It's choosing care over punishment.
You don't need to earn support by struggling first. You don't need to reach a breaking point to justify help.

If something makes your day softer, quieter, clearer, or safer, that tool is valid.
And if tools are what get you through today, that doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're adapting.

💬What's one tool that genuinely helps protect your mental health?

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

28/01/2026

"Are You Okay?"

Sometimes that question feels heavy.
Because the honest answer is complicated. And honesty isn't always safe.

Support doesn't mean fixing. It means staying.

💬What response feels most supportive to you?

25/01/2026

What is Identification?

It's the moment you see a word, a diagnosis, a story and think, oh...that's me.
Not to put yourself in a box, but to finally have language for what you’ve been carrying.

Identification can bring clarity. Relief. Community. It can help you stop blaming yourself for things that were never a personal failing.

But it’s also not the whole of who you are. You are not your diagnosis, it’s a tool not a definition.

Your creativity, kindness, humour, resilience, and dreams exist beyond any clinical term. Your mental health matters, and so does everything else that makes you you.

You are more than a diagnosis. More than a label. More than your hardest days.

Identification can help you
Identification can be a doorway to understanding and support, not a box you have to live in. It can explain parts of your story without defining the whole of it.

Identification can help you understand, seek support, and show yourself compassion. Release it if it starts to limit, label, or silence you.

Mental Health isn’t about fitting into a category, it’s about finding what helps you live. 🧠💬

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

23/01/2026

We understand how progressive conditions can bring grief, anticipatory anxiety and shifts in identity, and we’re here to help you navigate them with practical, evidence-informed strategies. Start with one small grounding habit: name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear. Practice gentle breathing for two minutes to calm anticipatory anxiety. When grief or identity change feels heavy, try a short values check: what matters most to you today, and one tiny action that reflects that value.

Our disability‑led therapy adapts techniques to suit your needs, helping people report improved mood regulation, clearer choices and a renewed sense of agency. If you’re supporting someone, invite them to try the grounding exercise with you and reflect together.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

🧡🫶✨

18/01/2026

“This is what I would look like if you could see my pain.”

Living with chronic pain means waking up already tired, making plans with a backup plan, and carrying an invisible weight others can’t see. It’s physical discomfort intertwined with emotional exhaustion, frustration, grief, anxiety, and resilience all at once. Chronic pain doesn’t just affect the body; it shapes mood, relationships, identity, and how safe the world feels.

Therapy can help you process the emotional toll of chronic pain, learn ways to calm the nervous system, and build coping tools that support both mind and body. You’re not weak for needing support. You’re human, and you deserve care, understanding, and relief wherever it’s possible. 🤍

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

15/01/2026

A penguin can't become a great giraffe just be the best penguin you can be.
Gary Vaynerchuk

A penguin can’t become a giraffe and that’s not a failure, it’s reality. When you live with disability or chronic illness, the goal isn’t to “push through” until you look like everyone else. The goal is to do things to the beat of your own drum.

Your strength doesn’t come from pretending you’re a giraffe in a world built for them. It comes from being the best penguin you can be, adapting, surviving, and thriving in your own way.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available!

12/01/2026

We are a therapy team shaped by lived experience. Disabled therapists who understand the small, practical barriers as well as the big emotional ones. We use that insight to pace goals realistically, build trust from day one, and co-create strategies that support independence and wellbeing.

emotionalrespite.co.uk
Appointments Available

Address

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Opening Hours

Monday	1pm - 8pm
Tuesday	1pm - 8pm
Wednesday	1pm - 8pm
Thursday	1pm - 8pm
Friday	1pm - 8pm

Website

https://www.emotionalrespite.co.uk/

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