Psychotherapy in Surrey

23/03/2026

✨📚 Reading for Resilience 📚✨
Starting this Friday at The Story Sanctuary Croydon, we’re creating a calm, welcoming space for home educated and EOTAS young people aged 11–16 to come together through stories.
This is a relaxed, youth-led group where there’s no pressure to read out loud or speak — you can join in as much or as little as feels right for you. Together, we’ll explore books that reflect real life, helping young people make sense of emotions, identity, and resilience in a gentle and supportive way.
Led by an experienced young people’s psychotherapist, the group offers a safe space to feel heard, build confidence, and connect with others at your own pace.
You don’t need to be a confident reader. You don’t need to have the right words. Just come as you are — that is enough.
📍 Join us this Friday https://thestorysanctuary.org.uk/event/reading-for-resilience-11-16-yr-olds/2026-03-27/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQuG-FleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETAxQlZMellYTDROcFlRR2t2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrGGCMhpryf0vuPtH8YavVuQI-6zU-7eo13eWYkEzUgVQJYdikZkQltZnXJ9_aem_aKldKR_Ke3TKhrUHYqhFCA

09/03/2026

Last Saturday I attended the Children, Young People and Families Conference where a fascinating and very relevant topic was explored: “Likes, Lives & Layers: Unpacking the Digital Impact on Young Minds.”

The speakers shared research on how modern technology, social media, gaming and online content are shaping young people’s lives — in both helpful and challenging ways.

One message really stayed with me: this generation was born into the digital world. They didn’t choose it, yet they are often blamed for using technology “too much” or “in the wrong way.”

The conversation encouraged us to move away from blame and become more curious.
What are young people getting from social media, games or videos?
How do relationships with parents and caregivers influence how technology is used?

As therapists, parents and professionals, our role is not only to set limits, but also to listen, understand and support young people in navigating the digital world safely and thoughtfully.

I left with a deeper understanding and some valuable ideas on how to better support young people and families who struggle with the impact of technology and online content.

The digital world is here to stay — so our task is to help young people navigate it with awareness, connection and support. 💛

06/03/2026

New therapy spaces available after Easter.
Mondays & Fridays at Ingeldale Therapy Centre, Oxted.
Supporting young people and adults with:
• neurodivergence
• parenting challenges
• loss and life changes
A space to talk, reflect and work through things at your own pace.
Please get in touch if you’d like to enquire about a session.

05/03/2026

As it is The World Book day I would like to share information about my new project with The Story Sanctuary: Reading for Resilience

A relaxed, youth-led space for home educated and EOTAS 11–16-year-olds to come together to explore stories, share ideas, and connect through books that speak to real life. Help choose the books we read and the themes we explore — join in as much or as little as feels right for you. You don’t need to be a confident reader or speaker. Listening is okay. Sharing is optional. Being yourself is enough.

A relaxed, youth-led space for home educated and EOTAS 11–16-year-olds to explore stories, share ideas, and connect through books that speak to real life.

27/02/2026

Grief is not only something we feel when someone dies.
Sometimes grief arrives quietly in the middle of ordinary life.

Becoming the parent of a teenager can feel like a profound transition. One day you are holding the hand of a playful child who wants to tell you everything. Before you know it, you are living with a young person who feels like a completely different human being.

Many parents say, often with guilt and sadness,
It feels like I have lost my child.

What they are describing is often grief.
Grief for the cuddles that no longer come so easily.
Grief for the closeness that once felt natural.
Grief for the version of parenting that felt more certain and connected.

Alongside this can come confusion, self doubt, frustration, even anger.
And also love. Deep love.
And a quiet hope of rediscovering one another in a new way.

The teenage years are not only a transition for young people.
They are a transition for parents too.

This stage can become a time of rebuilding. A time of learning different ways to connect. A time of developing a relationship that is less about managing and more about understanding. But that does not mean it is easy.

If you are a parent feeling this shift, if your child's teenage years feel challenging, painful, or lonely, you are not failing. You are navigating change.

In therapy we can gently explore
• The grief and sense of loss
• The confusion and mixed emotions
• The patterns that no longer seem to work
• New ways of relating that honour both you and your growing young person

You do not have to carry this alone.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to get in touch.
Together in a safe and compassionate space, we can find what feels supportive for you at this particular moment in your parenting journey.

17/02/2026

What are the four attachment styles? Which one is yours?

A new infographic from https://xabierlopez.co.uk/ and Mick Cooper.

27/01/2026

Fitting In or Belonging?

Many of us learn that fitting in is about survival — getting through school, work, friendships, even family life. Young people often say fitting in means not being different, because being different can be hard, and sometimes unsafe.

But belonging feels different.

Belonging is not about changing who you are.
It’s about feeling safe enough to be yourself.
Belonging can grow in caring, compassionate environments — and sometimes we create those spaces slowly, intentionally, together.

For me, belonging feels like dancing with friends, laughing freely, enjoying the moment — not worrying about fitting in, just being present and alive. When I know myself and my safety needs, I can make choices that bring joy and connection.

Today, you might gently ask yourself:
✨ Where do I feel most like me?
✨ What helps me feel safe enough to be real?
✨ What does belonging mean to me?
Your journey towards belonging might be short or long — but it’s most likely worth it. 💛

29/12/2025

To my dear friend, and to anyone who finds life unbearably heavy right now.
When the weight on your shoulders feels too much to carry.
When loneliness feels like the only companion.
When the person who hurts you is also the only one you feel you have.

There are no words big enough for that pain. Only this: please hold on.

You never wanted to burden your children, your family, your friends.
You tried for far too long to manage everything on your own.
But you are not a burden.
You are not weak.
And you are not alone.

I am endlessly grateful for you, my beautiful friend.
Grateful to the medics who saved your life and protected your spirit.
You matter more than you know — to your children, to your friends, to so many of us who cherish you deeply.
I am so proud of you for accepting help. It is one of the bravest things a person can do.

There is hope.
There is light — even if right now it is just a small one.
And that small smile of yours is proof that you are still here, still fighting, still worthy of love and care.

To all women living with abuse or fear:
Please, please reach out. Life should not be lived in fear.
Support exists. Safety exists. You deserve both.

If you are in the UK and need support right now:

🆘 If you are in immediate danger, call 999

💬 Samaritans – 116 123
Free, 24/7 emotional support for anyone struggling

💬 Shout – Text 85258
24/7 crisis text support

💬 NHS 111 – for urgent mental health help

💜 National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Women’s Aid & Refuge)
📞 0808 2000 247 (24/7, free)
🌐 Live chat and information available
They can help with safety planning, refuge spaces, and emotional support

💜 Women’s Aid – support, information, and local services
You are not alone, even if it feels that way right now.

Please stay.
Please reach out.
Your life matters — more than you can see today.

27/12/2025

Some days feel light and open. Other days feel heavy and quiet.

During the festive season, emotions often rise in unexpected ways. Even when loving people are around us, loneliness, sadness, or overwhelm can still appear.

It is okay if this time is not about celebration for you. It is okay to need stillness, privacy, or space for tears. All feelings belong.

Psychotherapy offers a safe, steady space to pause, reflect, and meet your inner world with care. There is no pressure to feel better or be joyful. Only an invitation to notice, welcome, and gently accept what is present.

Change begins through acceptance.

If you feel ready to explore your experiences with support, I am here. 🌿

23/12/2025

Many of my clients grew up with a parent who drank too much alcohol – sometimes mum, sometimes dad, sometimes both.
The impact does not end in childhood. It can last a lifetime.

Alcohol is often normalised in society as something “everyone does,” yet stress levels and mental health difficulties continue to rise. The effect on partners and children is still rarely talked about or properly supported.

There is help – for those struggling with alcohol, for those living with high stress, and for those affected by a family member’s drinking, past or present.

Seeking help isn’t easy. It takes courage. But it is possible to take one step forward and discover that there are other options, support, and a way out of long-held patterns.

If this resonates with you and you feel ready, I am here to help.
Please get in touch to arrange a psychotherapy session a.mulier@psychotherapyinsurrey.co.uk

✨ Let 2026 be the year you start differently.

15/12/2025

Something to have in mind during this time of year. 🙃

28/11/2025

Honouring Grief's Natural Flow

Grief is not a problem to be solved,
it is pain that needs to be felt.
Sit with the ache,
the sorrow,
the quiet emptiness.

Beware of overthinking;
every tear,
every memory,
every “what if”
can build walls around the heart,
trapping the pain
instead of letting it flow.

Thought can guide,
give perspective,
offer insight,
but overthinking can cage the heart,
slow grief’s natural flow,
and keep healing at bay.

Balance is the key.
Let feelings speak,
they soften,
they carry,
they guide.
Let thoughts serve,
but do not let them dominate.

Healing blooms
in the space between thought and feeling,
where the heart carries sorrow
without being crushed
and the mind learns
to accept and release
without overthinking.

And in this balance,
we begin to live again.

~ 'Honouring Grief's Natural Flow' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Olamik