Sanctuary Counselling

03/11/2025

New group launching January 2026: Emotional Eating Support ✨

If you’ve ever found yourself caught in the cycle of dieting, restricting, overindulging and then feeling guilty, you’re definitely not alone.

We’re running a 6-week Emotional Eating Group designed to help you:
🌿 Understand your personal relationship with food
🌿 Learn techniques to manage emotional eating
🌿 Build a healthier, more balanced mindset
🌿 Connect with others who understand

This is a small, supportive group (10-12 people) run by experienced therapists Sue Crossland and Jill Ulman, who bring over 40 years of combined experience in therapy and group work.

This isn’t about diets or restriction, it’s about emotional healing and developing a sustainable, compassionate relationship with food.

📅 Starts: Saturday 3rd January
📍 6-week group | 9:30am-12:30pm

Call to register your interest: 07842 497486

27/10/2025

20/09/2025

Help them to calm down..

18/09/2025

This is true…

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. But it’s crucial to slow down and savor the little moments, whether it’s a family dinner, a walk in the park, or simply laughing together at the end of a busy day.

Take time to disconnect from screens, play a board game, or even cook a meal together. These simple acts can create lasting memories and help everyone feel more connected.

Slow down, be present, and enjoy the beauty in everyday moments. 🫶

09/09/2025

This is so true .,

Sometimes I find it’s all too easy to wish the noise away. The slammed doors, the endless reminders, the trail of shoes across the floor. Some days it feels like too much, and I just long for a little peace.

But every stage has an endpoint. One day the house will be quiet in a way that isn’t temporary, and I suspect I’ll notice the absence of all the things that once drove me mad.

Because the truth is, the noise isn’t just chaos — it’s life in motion. It’s proof they’re here, growing, testing, becoming. And even when it wears me out, I know it means I’m right in the middle of their story, not watching from the sidelines.

The interruptions I complain about now may turn out to be the very details I look back on with longing. The chaos, the mess, the constant calls of “what’s for dinner?” — this is the texture of their childhood, and of my parenthood.

It won’t last forever. And when it shifts into something new, I know I’ll remember it not as an inconvenience, but as the evidence of a life fully lived — and deeply loved — together. ❤️

Quote Credit: Unknown❣️

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29/08/2025

True

22/08/2025

This one hits me hard.

Because I can still hear the voices from my own childhood. The ones that said “You’re too much” or “You need to calm down” or “You’re being dramatic.”

And for a long time, I unknowingly passed those voices onto my son. Not because I didn’t love him. But because I hadn’t yet learned how to respond differently.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

When your child comes to you with big feelings, and you say, “It’s okay to feel this,” they start to internalize that it is okay to feel.

When they fail, and you say, “That was hard. I’m proud of how you tried,” they start telling themselves, “Trying matters.”

When you mess up, and you repair, you’re teaching them that they’re worthy of apology and respect... even from adults.

Our responses become their inner voice.

I remember when Malcolm says, “Even when I’m dealing with hard stuff and you’re not around, I can hear your voice in my head."

He didn’t say it after a big moment. He wasn’t crying or overwhelmed. We were just talking. Casually. But those words hit me like a freight train.

Because that is what sticks.
Not the lectures.
Not the consequences.
Not the perfectly worded “teachable moments.”

What sticks is the way we show up.
The tone we use.
The repair after we mess up.
The soft place they learn to land.

And knowing that?
It’s what keeps me showing up. Even when it’s hard.

Because every time I respond with connection, I’m helping him build a voice that’s kind, steady, and strong enough to carry him through the hard stuff. Even when I’m not there.

And that, to me, is everything.

21/08/2025

The damage can last a life time ..

Just a reminder of how much our words stick.

We often forget how much some things that might seem small to us can feel really BIG to them.

Let’s be mindful of how we speak to them and about ourselves in front of them 💜

06/08/2025

So true..

🧠 MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS 🧠
Let’s stop telling men things like:

❌ “Boys don’t cry”
❌ “Man up”
❌ “Keep it to yourself”
❌ “Crying is weak”

These words create stigma and silence emotions — and that silence can be deadly.

At Andy’s Man Club, we believe:
💬 It’s OK to talk.
💬 It’s OK to cry.
💬 It’s OK to not be OK.

We’re here for every man who needs someone to listen — no judgment, no pressure, just support. 🙌

📍 Join us every Monday (excluding bank holidays):
📌 Beacon of Light, Sunderland
📌 Kayll Road Library, Sunderland
🕗 7PM start

You are not alone.