Brightside Counselling

15/04/2026

I had some lovely young clients here today and I was assisted by The Twits aka Martin and Nora!

13/04/2026

❤️ so true

08/04/2026

Definitely agree with this!

Most people don't realize that gratitude changes more than your mood. It changes your brain. Physically.

A study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics used MRI scans on 478 older adults. People with higher gratitude had measurably larger brain volumes in the amygdala and fusiform gyrus, regions responsible for emotion processing, face recognition, and memory.

The researchers found that these brain regions actually mediated the link between gratitude and cognitive function. In other words, gratitude may protect against dementia by maintaining the very structures that typically shrink with age.

And a 2024 study in JAMA Psychiatry, tracking nearly 50,000 women, found that those with the highest gratitude had a 9 percent lower risk of dying from any cause over four years.

Two minutes. A small notebook. Three specific things you're grateful for. That's the prescription.

Not vague gratitude like "I'm grateful for my life." Specific gratitude. "I'm grateful for the way sunlight came through my kitchen window this morning." Specificity is what activates the neural pathways.

In my practice, I've seen this simple habit shift patients from rumination to presence. From dread to curiosity. From shrinking to growing.

Your brain is waiting for the signal. Gratitude is the signal.

Name three specific things you're grateful for right now. Go.

31/03/2026

Delighted to have been asked to deliver this course, really looking forward to it!

We are delighted to partner with Counselling in the facilitation of an Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The course offers a comprehensive introduction to CBT principles for healthcare workers who want to understand and use CBT principles and practices in their day-to-day conversations. Contact Naomi on 01 8467980 to book your place

27/03/2026

I found it so hard to update my website without my beloved dog Róisín however life keeps going …..here it is with our new members of staff, The Twits aka Martin and Nora…..❤️

A warm, confidential counselling service near Swords, North County Dublin. Specialising in CBT, adolescent counselling, anxiety and trauma. IACP Accredited.

29/01/2026

Introducing two new members to the team…. Martin and Nora, therapy dogs in training ❤️
They’ve a lot to live up to after my beloved Róisín 💓

11/10/2025

Love this ❤️

Oh I love this one so much!

[Credit: ]

23/09/2025

This is so helpful ❤️Grief is so hard

20/08/2025

❤️

This is such an important message to remember as we approach exam results season!

Dear kids. You are not a number.
The world will try to assign numbers to you
scores, grades, potential
but you are so much more than any number.
Numbers miss your kindness, your creativity,
your empathy, your heart.
You are never a number,
but rather, always remember, you are priceless.

Rachel Marie Martin

01/08/2025

❤️

19/07/2025

Anyone who knows my private practice will know of my beloved dog Róisín…… we said goodbye to her today after over 15 years…. Rest easy Ro Ro 💓

18/06/2025