Claire Law Free to Be Psychotherapy

10/12/2025

🔑I've picked up the keys to my new counselling room. New can feel challenging and daunting and well as exciting, and that's all in the mix for me as I hold these keys.
🔧I look forward to getting the space ready ahead of welcoming clients to the room in January.

05/12/2025

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Happy Families? TV ads at this time of year have a habit of showing families gathering together to celebrate Christmas, often giving an impression of connection, harmony and contentedness.

Your reality might be very different, and that can feel very difficult.

The Christmas "happy families" fantasy can be a myth for people who are
❓Estranged from family members
❓Grieving the loss of a loved one
❓Experiencing conflict and tension with family members
❓Caring for family members
❓Feeling stressed and anxious about work, finances, responsibilities
❓Isolated and lonely

💬In therapy, we work with how you really feel, rather than the "myth" sold to you about how you "ought" to feel.

28/11/2025

This blog is the most viewed article on my website. If you are in the midst of Christmas gift shopping, then taking a few minutes to read through this article on the psychology of gifting might help you get a sense of perspective on how you feel about gifts and gifting 🎅🎁
https://www.freetobecounselling.org/blog/2022/11/09/the-psychology-of-gift-giving #:~:text=Gift%20giving%20has%20also%20been,feel%20burdened%20by%20financial%20challenges.

Gifting and receiving gifts can throw up complex emotions and feelings of anxiety, shame, resentment, grief and loss. Gifting can trigger past hurts. This blog explores some of the psychological and emotional complexity of gifting as well as how counselling can help with anxiety, shame, resentment,

21/11/2025

❄️❄️It's cold outside! Just in time for me to try out 2 new infrared heated cushions in my counselling room - one for me, one for clients. So far, so good! ♨️♨️

17/11/2025

Privileged to attend book launch today for Tom Meaney's book on relational approaches to counselling.

29/10/2025

I've seen these stocks plenty of times before. This week, I stopped to take a closer look, and spent a few moments wondering who might have been placed in these stocks. I was struck by the way that public humiliation and shame was once used to punish. And remided of the ways that shaming others and humiliation (including in online spaces) still happens today. So often the work of therapy involves processing the ways in which we were shame, or given someone else's shame to carry.


Photo decription: image of stocks constructed out of stone plinths at either end, with wooden boards, featuring 2 sets of hand (or foot?) holes. Behind is a stone wall.

26/09/2025

It's that time of year when I finally have sucumb to putting my sandals away till next Summer (Spring....?) and it's shoes and boots time. My feet like the freedom of sandals, and are complaining now.......!

14/09/2025

Check out my latest blog: What is Neuroaffirming Counselling?
https://www.freetobecounselling.org/blog/what-is-neuroaffirming-counselling

10/09/2025

Today is ***dePreventionDay. An important day to mark and recognise the work happening globally to change the narrative on su***de. Connecting with someone you're concerned about, and asking them if they are struggling with their mental health can be a helpful form of support.

There are some great resources out there to support people to have brave conversations. I like the Zero Su***de Alliance's range of free courses. Link in comments.

Asking if someone is suicidal won't give them ideas, but it may help them feel less . A 2014 meta-analysis (that's a study that gathers and measures data from other studies to create really robust evidence about a hypothesis) by Cambridge University Researchers (Dazzi et al.) supports this. But how can we get better at these really ? Crisis - whether it's our own or someone else's- can shift our brain into a response in which thinking clearly, planning, and responding well become more challenging. Having a plan in place and a rehearsed checklist can help. ⁠
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When we enter brave conversations like these, our pulse may spike, we may stumble on words, and we may even want to escape the conversation. Here's a tip: literally practicing saying the words can help. To practice, you can pair up with a friend or partner and rehearse what it's like to say: "Sometimes when people are struggling with stuff like this, they have thoughts about su***de, are you having those thoughts?" or "I'm really concerned about you and I wonder if you feel like you can keep yourself safe right now?" or "I want you to know that if you ever feel suicidal, I'm here for you. Call me and we'll figure out together how to keep you safe." ⁠
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Getting used to saying these emotion-charged statements can help us show up and speak bravely when the chips are down. ⁠
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Gentle reminder that Instagram is not therapy and my resources are educational, not therapeutic. If you need help, reach out to the and ask to be connected with resources. If you need help urgently, call 911 or local emergency services. (In Seattle, that's crisis connections at 206-461-3222 )

Get a poster, mini poster, or printable PDF version of this art via the link in my profile.

09/09/2025

Completing training as part of "Trauma Informed Lancashire" today. My work often involves helping people process childhood trauma, as well as trauma experienced as adults, and find ways to feel safer in themselves, and in the world. It's important training and I am glad Lancashire is championing this. If you are interested, see the link in comments.

Image description: image with the words "Trauma Informed" written in black font, and "Lancashire" written underneath in pink. To the left is a pink heart image.
Second image has a lilac bacground, with the words "childhood trauma" above a line drawn graphic of a sad face, with fingers pointing at the face.

09/09/2025

🍂Spotting the signs of change in the season - greens being slowly replaced by yellows and browns.
🤔I'm reflecting on what it is to experience change. Change isn't always easy!
💬In therapy, we often explore the imapct of life changes, and find ways to live with the process of change. In the process, we can be changed, too.

💛Today, I am enjoying the colours of autumn as a way to connect with change.



Image description: three photos, each of close up of green leaves that are mottled with yellow, beige and brown clours.

05/09/2025

❓💬What words do you need to hear today?

💚It can feel very comforting when someone we trust and feel safe with tells us the words we want to hear.

🥰It can also be an act of radical self-love and care to give these words to ourself.



Image description: graphic featuring the title "sometimes you just need to hear..." Underneath are 3 rows of 3 statments, each written in a rainbow shape above a heart image. The statments, reading from left to right and top to bottom are:
I see you
I believe in you
I get you
Take your time
It's not your fault
You are safe here
I'm right here
It's ok
I understand