Emily Duffy Therapy

10/11/2025

I am an integrative therapist working pluralistically 💚

I believe in working with the client in front of me and them being the expert of their own life and experiences.

I think that sole approaches can work for some people, but as with a lot of things, I don't feel therapy is a one size fits all and so I work with my clients on what they feel works for them and their preferences in therapeutic approach. If anything, I think we need more diversity in the counselling professions as there are so many intersects sparsely represented!

My slides are quotes of what integrative therapy and pluralistic therapy.

Integrative therapy involves techniques from multiple therapeutic orientations to treat a client’s unique problem. Integrative therapists believe that tailoring the therapy to the individual achieves the most significant effects. - BACP

Pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy is based on two key principles:
- There’s no ‘best’ way of doing therapy: different clients need different things at different times.
- If therapists want to find out the best way of helping clients, they should talk to them about it.

Pluralistic practice: a form of therapy in which the practitioner draws on a range of methods and understandings to try and tailor the therapy to the individual client—based on what they and the client think may be most helpful - https://pluralisticpractice.com/


Want to work with me? Check out more about how I work on my site and check availability for sessions -
https://www.emilyduffytherapy.co.uk/what-i-offer

💚

09/11/2025

Relationship Anarchy Smörgåsbord Version 6 by Maxx Hill


Maxx got in touch with me recently as they have released Version 6 of the RA Smörgåsbord ✨️ This has now been updated on my RA Smörgåsbord blog post as well as my guide and CPD into non-monogamy.

They also have a link to a google drive folder which includes lots of variations for different languages as well as a spreadsheet which helps go into the Smörgåsbord in more detail and breaks down how you might use it with other people/connections.

I am so glad Maxx updated me and corrected me on the version I was using - I do my best to keep up to date and hold myself accountable for any mistakes I make, but I also really appreciate people calling me in if they notice anything I've missed 💚

I hate making mistakes, but I'm only human, and it's going to happen, so accepting this and moving forward with compassion whilst staying accountable is how I try to roll! Don't get me wrong, I still have guilt and that critical nasty voice trying to beat me up. It's not easy, but I try to practise what I preach to my followers and clients.

Do check out my blog and Maxxs resource. Link via bio 🔗
www.emilyduffytherapy.co.uk/post/how-to-use-the-relationship-anarchy-smorgasbord

07/11/2025

The unethical therapist 🙃


⚠️⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️⚠️

If you haven't yet watched the new season of Nobody Wants This ( ) on Netflix and you don't want spoilers do not read on....


Yet again, in TV and film, we see another example of how not to be a therapist! If you do see a therapist doing the below run and and report them, they know better.

If you have any positive examples of therapists portrayed in film or media, let me know!


In this new season, we see a character get involved with their therapist, and it was sooooooo uncomfortable to watch as a therapist.

There are so many reasons as to why this is unethical, but here are a few that I caught in the show:
😬 For a start dating a client....full stop.
😬 Dating only a week after ending sessions.
😬 That dating clients seems to be a pattern he didn't reveal but was caught out on
😬 Minimising the clients' concerns over the power imbalance and lack of transparency
😬 Going to a couples therapist who is clearly a friend of the therapist showing a bias in sessions and exacerbating the power dynamic
😬 Blaming the client, not knowing anything about him as she didn't ever ask....she was his client!
😬 The power imbalance of him knowing all her vulnerabilities and challenges but her only starting to get to know him as a person
😬 The love bombing he did
😬 The dismissal of her concerns about the relationship and trying to turn in on her insecurities
😬 Him suggesting client confidentiality is something Freud was wrong about

I could go on, but these are off the top of my head!

If a therapist tries to initiate a friendship or romantic relationship outside of your therapeutic relationship, this isn’t okay!!

You may notice you have romantic or strong feelings for your therapist. That's okay. You can explore this with them and how it plays into the work, but crossing the line and acting on those feelings is not okay. That's where it becomes unethical.

Did I miss any from the season? 💚

06/11/2025

What therapy can help with 💚

Essentially, the aim of therapy is to empower someone to help themselves. This is done in lots of ways, but we are essentially working ourselves out of a job 😅

We want you to get to a point where you're thinking, "Maybe I can do this myself now, I've got the tools and the support, I don't need this anymore" 🤩 it's so awesome to see when people get to this point.

So what can therapy help with/do:
💚 Look at how you talk to yourself and reframe it
💚 Explore your identity, the relationship with yourself, and understand who you are
💚 Work on ways of communicating with others and difficult dynamics
💚 How to sit with and notice emotions, as well as how to manage any symptoms that come up (chronic illnesses, disabilities, mental health...)
💚 Challenge our biases, ways of thinking, and behaviours
💚 Learn how to respond to situations rather than react
💚 Learn how to set boundaries
💚 Celebrate achievements, progress, and the work you're doing
💚 and so much more...

What would you add to this list?


Thinking of starting therapy? Check out my website to learn more about me and book a consultation - www.emilyduffytherapy.co.uk

Spaces for email, video, and phone sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings

02/11/2025

I learned about this due to my reactive dog 😅

But I feel like the sink analogy by Dr. Sarah Heath is transferable to human emotional regulation, too.

Imagine a sink
💚 The basin is the amount of emotion you can carry before it becomes overwhelming. The size of this sink will be different for everyone.
💚 The hot tap is frustrations and stressful stimuli
💚 The cold tap is excitment and positive stimuli
✨️ They both still fill up the sink
💚 The flow of the water can be controlled by things like boundaries or things like our environment, e.g., a safe, calm environment might slow the flow of water, and a loud, busy, oppressive environment might speed up the flow of water.
💚 If we don't have ways of regulating and managing our emotions, the sink will be plugged up and will overflow, e.g., meltdown, outburst, or overhwhelm
💚 If we have support, self-care, coping skills, sleep hygiene, healthy dietary habits, exercise, etc. Then the sink won't be blocked and so the water cam drain and our emotions can be regulated.

It might be that even though we have all the support and wellbeing management in place, the water flow is fast, and the sink is small, meaning we could still overflow!

Does this resonate with you? 💧

31/10/2025

Blessed Samhain, Happy Halloween, and a happy all hallows eve.

Whatever you're doing today and this weekend, I hope it's what you need and that you're able to stay safe ✨️

I will be inside watching spooky films, with my decorations on, and my scardey dogs snuggled up away from the fireworks! 👻

30/10/2025

I learned about this due to my reactive dog 😅

But I feel like the sink analogy by Dr. Sarah Heath is transferable to human emotional regulation, too.

Imagine a sink
💚 The basin is the amount of emotion you can carry before it becomes overwhelming. The size of this sink will be different for everyone.
💚 The hot tap is frustrations and stressful stimuli
💚 The cold tap is excitment and positive stimuli
✨️ They both still fill up the sink
💚 The flow of the water can be controlled by things like boundaries or things like our environment, e.g., a safe, calm environment might slow the flow of water, and a loud, busy, oppressive environment might speed up the flow of water.
💚 If we don't have ways of regulating and managing our emotions, the sink will be plugged up and will overflow, e.g., meltdown, outburst, or overhwhelm
💚 If we have support, self-care, coping skills, sleep hygiene, healthy dietary habits, exercise, etc. Then the sink won't be blocked and so the water cam drain and our emotions can be regulated.

It might be that even though we have all the support and wellbeing management in place, the water flow is fast, and the sink is small, meaning we could still overflow!

Does this resonate with you? 💧

29/10/2025

It's been soooo long since I've been creative ✨️

I don't know why, but I've had a bit of a block on sitting down and painting, drawing, or colouring but instead have filled my time with comfort TV shows and admin work 😅

But I definitely need to do more quiet, mindful exercises/hobbies/practices! Didn't realise how much I missed it.

Anyways, here's my pumpkins. I did all but the face carved one, I got into it 😆🎃 they are tiny home-grown pumpkins, though, so it was tricky.

Are you carving/painting pumpkins this year? 💚

26/10/2025

I'm so happy with my pumpkins 🎃

These are the ones that randomly started growing from last years which I composted 🙈

They destroyed all my other veggies, but I enjoyed watching them grow, and now I get to decorate them ready for Friday ✨️

I love to get creative. How would you decorate these? The smallest are a little bigger than a tennis ball, and the biggest are a little smaller than a football 😅

26/10/2025

Do you stop to notice your achievements or even just being content? 💚

“Acknowledge your mistakes, but focus on your strengths.” – Ken Blanchard

I find quite often we're so focused on what we've done "wrong" or what we can "do better" we forget to actually recognise and celebrate where we're actually at and how we got there!

Does this resonate with you?

-talk

25/10/2025

A video link to the Harvard Business Review about boredom and why it's actually good for us.

Makes me think about everything being 24/7 access (*cough Cough* Better Help *Cough") and why that's not always a good thing!

Part of therapy is learning how to be empowered and be okay by yourself and reaching out to your support network when you can't cope with something by yourself. We don't need to be constantly entertained or reassured, it's okay to be uncomfortable.

Do you let yourself get bored?

Boredom isn’t a bug—it’s a feature. Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks explains why boredom unlocks creativity, activates a powerful brain network, and might...

23/10/2025

Pay what you can for my CPD starting from £10

There is still research that shows either non-monogamous clients don't feel safe in therapy or that therapists actually lead clients with their biases around relationship diversity!

Payment options:
✨️My course at full fee is £60.
✨️There's a payment option to split the £60 into 6 x £10 payments + £5 one-off fee.
And now
✨️ You can now apply for pay what you can. I do not ask for any "evidence" but this is in good faith that you aren't able to afford the full fee. The pay what you can link will be a manual process with me, so do bear with me when you apply ☺️

The course covers relationship types, stigmas and myths, intersectionality, themes in the work, and ways of working.

It is primarily text-based learning, now with audio text to speech files, and soon will have video summaries too.

All the feedback I've received has been positive, with feedback saying they feel more confident in their work and would recommend this course to colleagues.

Any questions let me know. Otherwise, you can fund the course here - www.emilyduffytherapy.co.uk/courses