top of page
New Start Counselling and Psychotherapy
Welcome to the Reflection Room
A Blog space for you
Welcome to New Start Counselling and Psychotherapy's blog, a space for reflection, insight, and real conversations about life.
Here you’ll find articles exploring topics such as identity, relationships, boundaries, grief, resilience, chronic illness, and navigating change. Much of what I write is shaped by the work I do with clients, alongside my own lived experience, because the truth is, we’re often grappling with the same themes in different ways.
This blog isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level positivity. It’s about understanding ourselves more deeply, making sense of our experiences, and finding ways to move forward with honesty and compassion.
Whether you’re here out of curiosity, support, or somewhere in between, I hope you find something that resonates and reminds you that you’re not alone.
You’re welcome to follow along on social media, where I share reflections, updates, and new blog posts as they’re released.
.png)
Search
Therapy benefits for women: Effective Counselling approaches for challenges that affect women
When you decide to seek counselling, you’re taking a brave step towards reclaiming your life. Therapy is not about fixing you because you are broken. It’s about helping you find your strength and voice again.
You might be facing challenges such as:
Feeling stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts
Struggling with relationship issues or loneliness
Coping with grief or loss
Managing work-life balance and burnout
Navigating identity and self-worth
Sam Seymour
1 day ago4 min read
What Is an Invisible Disability? Living with MS, Hidden Illness, and the Pressure to Prove It
Living with an invisible disability is not just about managing symptoms.
It’s about navigating perception, judgement, identity, and that constant push-pull between strength and vulnerability.
If you’re in it, you’re not alone.
And if you’re reading this and don’t have a hidden disability, remember:
Not everything is as it looks.
Sam Seymour
2 days ago4 min read
Parenting Teenagers: What is the reality?
She walks past me and slams the door. I call out asking if she is alright and the answer is ‘leave me alone’. I am left worried about her mental health yet angry that she is treating me this way. Where is the little girl who used to yell ‘I love you Mummy, the little girl who once sat on my lap as we sang together. Has she gone? Well no she’s changing heading towards the inevitability of womanhood. Boy it happened in a blink of the eye. It literally seems I tucked her in one
Sam Seymour
2 days ago5 min read
ADHD in Women: Why It’s Not Just About Focus (And Why Everything Feels So Intense)
ADHD isn’t just about losing your keys (again). It’s starting five things at once and finishing none. It’s crying over a comment that shouldn’t sting, spiralling from rejection that feels like an avalanche, and spending hours masking so people don’t see how hard you’re working just to keep up.
Having been diagnosed with ADHD about 2 years ago, I was both validated and strengthened to understand my life experiences. This diagnosis was a game changer for me.
Sam Seymour
2 days ago3 min read
Why People Pleasing is Robbing You of Your Authenticity.
Women’s empowerment therapy encourages women to sidestep the trap of people pleasing and invites them to stand in their own power. Each client goes on their own journey to understand how and why their people-pleasing tendencies developed, to make peace with their past and to re-engage and develop their true self. By going on this journey, not only do my clients notice their well-being increases, but they find they’ve developed the skills to better manage their mental health.
Sam Seymour
2 days ago5 min read
How to Stop Overthinking
I am an overthinker and have been all my life. The problem with overthinking is it is never positive – in my experience it serves as a form of self-bullying – ‘What did I do wrong’ ‘What is it about me that is the problem’ ‘why don’t they like me’ etc. The biggest problem with this self-bullying is most of the time it is a made-up story. We don’t have all the facts and, in our striving, to make sense of the unknown we simply make up things that fit. This is one of the biggest
Sam Seymour
2 days ago5 min read
Letting Go: How Expectations and Control Are Making Parenting Teenagers Harder Than It Needs to Be
Parenting through the teen years is hard. It is a huge time of change for both our teen and ourselves as parents.
When we stop trying to control everything and let go of the expectations we didn’t even realise we were holding, our homes become safer, calmer, and more connected.
Parenting teens is hard. But it doesn’t have to be war. It can be a shared journey, messy, imperfect, and beautiful.
Sam Seymour
2 days ago4 min read
Navigating Life's Challenges and Changes: How to cope with change with resilience and strength
Hey there, lovely souls! Life is an incredible journey, isn't it? Full of twists, turns, and unexpected detours. But what happens when those bumps in the road feel more like roadblocks, stopping us dead in our tracks? How do we summon the strength to push through and keep moving forward? As a Mental Health Counsellor specialising in supporting women through life's ups and downs, I've seen firsthand the incredible resilience that lies within each of us. Today, I want to share
Sam Seymour
2 days ago2 min read
The MS Crap Gap: What No One Tells You About Multiple Sclerosis and Infusions
If you're in the thick of the MS Crap Gap, please know, you're not imagining it. You’re not overreacting. You’re living something real, and hard, and invisible. You don’t have to do it alone.
That’s something I’m honoured to offer you: a space where you don’t have to explain. Where the intricacies of life with MS are understood without needing a medical file.
Let’s do this together, because I truly get it. And you don’t have to carry this alone.
Sam Seymour
2 days ago3 min read
Embracing the Next Chapter: Navigating the Empty Nest Syndrome
Navigating the empty nest syndrome is undoubtedly a bittersweet experience, but it also marks the beginning of a new chapter filled with possibilities. Embrace this time of transition, and remember that you're not alone on this journey. Together, we can navigate the challenges and celebrate the joys of the empty nest.
Sam Seymour
3 days ago2 min read
Grief, Change, and the Emotions We Would Rather Not Feel
Through both my healing and my work as a Counsellor, I developed what I now call the STAR Method, a way of understanding and moving through grief, change and emotions
gently, one step at a time. Patience, love and kindness is needed as you explore any changes including grief and loss.
Sam Seymour
Apr 23 min read
What if I am wrong? How to question your thoughts and change your life
Maybe real change begins in that quiet space where we pause and ask ourselves:
“What if I am wrong?”
That question has changed the course of my life.
Sam Seymour
Apr 23 min read
'Everyone else is okay but me' The lonely world of assumptions
I remember, early on in my MS journey, when standing still was the hardest part (still is now). I was in line at the supermarket when I lost my balance and fell into a chocolate display. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was disconcerting, and I was already trying to hold it together.
Sam Seymour
Apr 23 min read
What is the difference between Psychologists and Counsellors?
What are the differences between Counsellors and Psychologists? In my practice, this is an ongoing question and one that is not easily answered. I am a qualified and accredited Counsellor who has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology (Honours), so I have a working knowledge of both professions. The opinions given in this article are my own and come from my lived experiences, values, and attitudes. So here goes: What is Psychology? Psychology is based on the science of how and why
Sam Seymour
Apr 25 min read
From Rescuer to Teacher: Letting go of a role you never chose
Unpacking the Rescuer identity isn’t about becoming cold or uncaring. It’s about finally including yourself in the care you so freely give to everyone else.
You matter, and your needs matter. You can stop performing for love and start receiving it freely.
How good does that sound?
It took me a lifetime to realise that my motivator was that of the rescuer. A role I took on as a child. It was exhausting and once I started to see it my life changed for the better.
Sam Seymour
Apr 23 min read
One of the signs of an Abusive Relationship is 'Coercive Control'
We hear the term a lot these days, but what is it, what does it look like, and how can we help anyone living it, their families, and anyone who loves them? Coercive control isn’t always visible. There are no bruises to point to, no obvious explosions. Just a slow erosion of self, and often, the people around the victim don’t realise what’s happening until they barely recognise them. This blog is your guide. Whether you are living in a coercive, controlling relationship or lov
Sam Seymour
Apr 25 min read
Teen Ties: Strengthening Parent-Child Bonds - A Practical Guide for Parenting Teenagers
The transition to the tween years, spanning from ages 9 to 12, marked a subtle shift towards independence. Sleepovers, makeup experiments, and budding autonomy signaled the beginning of a new phase. Despite the increased noise and activity, there was a sense of liberation and newfound space. Parenting teens was the hardest thing I have ever done but you do get through it you just need the tools that help.
Sam Seymour
Apr 23 min read
Chronic Illness, the Rescuing role, Therapy and the Radical notion of putting your needs first
I always say how amazing humans are, we are such a sophisticated machine that cannot be replicated, our minds are incredible, and we are wired for survival. However, this brings messiness.
Sam Seymour
Apr 24 min read
Gaslighting is a form of abusive behaviour. But what is Gaslighting really? What happens when reality gets rewritten
There’s something deeply unsettling about gaslighting.
It’s not loud. It’s not always obvious and that’s exactly why it’s so powerful.
Gaslighting is an example of abusive behaviours and a form of psychological manipulation where someone causes you to question your own reality. Your thoughts, your feelings, your memory… even your sanity. It is effective and has long term ramifications on our mental health and sense of self.
Sam Seymour
Mar 263 min read
bottom of page