Camilla Grainger Counselling

05/11/2025

💭 Myths About Counselling 💭

I hear so many misconceptions about counselling — and I get it. It can feel like a big step to reach out. So let’s clear up a few things 👇

🌿 Myth 1: “You have to be in crisis to go to counselling.”
Nope. You don’t have to wait until everything falls apart. Counselling can be a space to grow, reflect, and understand yourself better — even when life’s okay on the surface.

💬 Myth 2: “Counsellors tell you what to do.”
I wish it were that simple! 😂 But it’s not about advice — it’s about exploring what’s going on inside you and finding your own answers in a safe space.

😔 Myth 3: “Talking about it will make it worse.”
Actually, the opposite is true. Keeping things bottled up gives them more power. Talking helps bring light to the things we’ve been carrying in the dark.

⏳ Myth 4: “Counselling takes forever.”
It doesn’t have to. Some people come for a few sessions and find what they need. Others stay longer. There’s no right or wrong — just what feels right for you.

🧐 “Are you analysing me?”
I get asked this all the time — usually with a nervous laugh! 😂

The truth is… no, I’m not secretly analysing you in Tesco or at the school gates
Counselling isn’t about judging or dissecting people — it’s about understanding and empathy.
When I’m with clients, my attention is on creating a safe space where they can be honest, real, and human — without fear of being “figured out.”

And when I’m off the clock, I’m just… me. I switch off, eat snacks, forget people’s names, and binge Netflix like everyone else. 😅

Counsellors don’t sit around analysing everyone — we just learn to listen deeply and see people beyond their defences. 💚

So no, I’m not analysing you… unless you want to book a session 😉

Counselling isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s one of the bravest things you can do — to face yourself with honesty and compassion. 💚🦋

10/10/2025

Mental health isn’t always about anxiety and depression it’s about the deep wounds that shape how we love and live.
I spent years calling chaos love -
convincing myself that pain meant passion and that I could fix the people who broke me. I didn't see the truth until it almost destroyed me.
On this World Mental Health Day, I'm
sharing a piece of my story in the hope that someone reading this realises they deserve more, too.
Healing often begins with awareness — the courage to look at our pain without turning away. If you're stuck in a cycle that feels familiar but hurts deeply, know this: you are not broken, and you are not alone.
Change is possible, and it begins with naming the truth.

“When he hurt me, I told myself it was because he was hurting. When he blamed me, I believed I wasn't enough - not patient enough, not worthy enough to make him stay kind. I wasn't addicted to him; I was addicted to the familiar. The same wounds I carried from childhood “

08/10/2025

🌱Client Testimonial
A real story of healing and growth

"I would really recommend Camilla. I was a bit sceptical about talking to someone new, but she made me feel comfortable straight away and is so easy to talk to.
Through our sessions, I've learned a lot about myself and how to deal with everyday life and situations. It's really improved me as a person."

• Client Background
This client came to therapy with severe anxiety, believing something was wrong with his breathing and heart. His body was in constant alarm mode, and everyday life felt overwhelming.

• What We Discovered
Through gentle exploration, we uncovered that the root cause of his anxiety was trauma from an abusive relationship — something he hadn't recognised as abuse at the time.
Once this truth was acknowledged, the healing process began.

• The Outcome
With consistent sessions, self-awareness, and new coping strategies, he now feels calmer, more grounded, and at peace in his life. His confidence has grown, and he's able to recognise and manage emotional triggers with clarity and control.

About my approach
I offer a warm, down-to-earth, and non-judgmental counselling space where clients can explore what's really going on beneath the surface. My approach blends CBT techniques, trauma-informed practice, and emotional awareness - helping clients move from confusion and anxiety toward calm, confidence, and self-trust.

"I believe therapy should help you feel safe enough to face the truth — and strong enough to build something new from it 🦋

01/10/2025

🌱The New Chapter
- New Support Group in
Warwickshire 🌱

I'm starting a new group called The New Chapter for children and young people whose lives are affected by a parent's addiction.

The group will be:
✨A safe and
supportive space
✨Creative and fun
(art, journaling, games)
✨A place to build confidence and resilience
✨A chance to connect with others
who understand.

We're beginning with a 6-week pilot in schools, and I'd love to hear from parents, schools, or professionals who feel this could benefit children they know.

❤️ A special thank you to one of the amazing young people I've worked with, who helped me come up with this idea last year and even chose the name The New Chapter. This group is for her, and for all children who deserve hope and support 🦋

📧 please message me if you'd like to know more, get involved, or share ideas.
Together, we can help children write a brighter new chapter.💚

30/09/2025

🤨Judgement is a mirror not a truth?

🌱Peoples journey isn’t meant for you to understand

🌱You don’t have to approve, you don’t even have to get it.

🌱People look at the surface they don’t see the weight you carry, the sleepless nights, the heartbreak or the choices you made to survive ✨

Reminders 🦋

🦋You don’t need approval

🦋You don’t need to be understood

🦋Judgement doesn’t define you
Your resilience does

🖕to them xx

23/09/2025

✨ Ikigai: A Reason for Being✨
Ikigai（生き甲斐) is a
Japanese concept that means "a reason to wake up in the morning." It's the sweet spot where four things meet:
❤️What you love

❤️What you’re good
at
❤️What the world needs

❤️What you can be
paid for

Your ikigai doesn't have to be a career. It might be found in caring for family, creating something meaningful, helping in your community or even simple rituals of life like a morning coffee or a daily walk.

Ikigai shifts as we grow - what fulfills us at 20 may be different at 50. What matters is that it gives us
purpose and balance between happiness and contribution.
Im currently working on mine I need more balance but also im expanding into different things

22/09/2025

🚩Triangulation & the "Everyone Says" Tactic

Have you ever been told:
🚩"Everyone thinks you're overreacting."
🚩”People say you're crazy."
🚩”My friends say your too much”

Why it's harmful:
🚩It makes you doubt yourself ("maybe they're right?").
🚩It creates invisible
"alliances" against you.
🚩It avoids direct, healthy communication.
🚩It lets them avoid taking responsibility ("It's not me, it's what everyone thinks").

👉But here's the truth:
"Everyone" usually means no one. It's a smokescreen. It is used to shame you, confuse you.

🦋Ask directly:
"Who's everyone?"
(Watch how quickly it crumbles).
🦋Redirect it back:
"I'm interested in what you think, not what everyone else thinks."
🦋more importantly you know who you are!
You don’t need anyone or everyone to define you ❤️

16/09/2025

Sometimes we forget to notice the quiet progress we're
making. Then we look back and realise: I'm actually doing well, considering
everything
It's easy to focus on what's heavy or unfair, but acknowledging your own resilience matters just as much. Progress doesn't
always look like big wins — sometimes it looks like simply holding steady when life is throwing storms
your way.
If you're doing your best in difficult
circumstances, give yourself credit. That is strength.

28/08/2025

19/08/2025

August is Overdose Awareness Month 💜

This month, l remember my mum - who died from a codeine overdose.
She wasn't just her addiction. She was funny, kind, broken, beautiful.
She was also my mum.
And I miss her

Overdose doesn't always look how you think. It doesn't always happen to
"other people."
It can happen to someone's daughter/son
Someone's friend.
Someone's mother/father
Addiction is complex.

It's often rooted in trauma, pain, and deep emotional wounds.
And far too often, people suffer in silence - judged instead of supported, shamed instead of seen.

So this month, l honour my mum.
And I speak up for those who can't
anymore.

💜let’s reduce the stigma
💜 Let's remember the lives behind the statistics.

19/08/2025

It's heartbreaking to see someone publicly humiliate an addict. The damage that kind of shame causes is deep — I know, because l've lived with the fallout.
But what makes it even harder to stomach is when the people throwing stones have played their own part in that same world. If your hands aren't clean, maybe think twice before judging others.
Addiction is complex.
What it needs is compassion — not hypocrisy

I’m not afraid to speak on tough issues 🦋
I have witnessed the painful impact personally and professionally and I find it deeply troubling when people publicly shame those who are struggling and the internal struggle it causes their loved ones seeing it online.

I'm not saying people shouldn't be held accountable — of course harmful behaviour like stealing causes real pain. But when someone is struggling with addiction, shame doesn't heal.
Especially not when the humiliation and finger pointing comes from those who contributed to that same issue.

17/08/2025

"You do not have to be whole to be worthy. You do not have to be healed to begin."
- Thema Bryant

My reflection tonight
Even letting go even just a little bit is an act of power not failure 🌱it’s not about giving up something or being weak but actually it’s an act of strength and courage
Re claiming your energy
Clearing space in your mind for you

♥️ you stop waiting and start moving 🦋

What do you want to get rid of?

A habit
A person
Could even be a painful experience or a belief

You are allowed to begin again 🥰