Kay Parkinson

A practical, honest guide to choosing a counsellor: what registration and accreditation actually mean, and why fit matters more than qualifications alone.

Shame rarely looks like shame. Discover how it hides in everyday behaviour, and what it takes to begin recognising and understanding it.

People-pleasing can be more than difficulty setting boundaries. This insight explores how keeping others happy can become connected with safety, approval and belonging, and why understanding the pattern can create more choice.

People-pleasing is often seen as a problem with boundaries, but what if keeping others happy became a way of feeling safe? This article explores how people-pleasing can become connected with approval, belonging, self-worth and fear of conflict, and why understanding the pattern may be more helpful than simply trying to stop it.

Grief doesn't move in stages, whatever you were taught. It weaves through connection, silence, guilt, and gratitude all at once, and there's nothing wrong with you for finding it non-linear.

You already know what you are supposed to do, and you still cannot seem to do it. This looks at why a clear plan is sometimes not enough on its own, and what counselling reaches that coaching alone was never built to touch, the part of you still holding back.

Why do we get so angry over small things? A therapist explains what anger protects, how shame turns it inward, and how to stay with the feeling.

A couples therapist's honest account of what sits beneath disconnection, why shame keeps people from asking for help, and why reaching out is an act of authentic self-honour.

A grounded and honest reflection on what healing from shame actually looks like, beyond the polished narratives often seen online. This piece explores the subtle ways shame shows up in everyday life, from perfectionism to people-pleasing, and reframes them as protective responses rather than personal flaws. Drawing on therapeutic experience, it highlights the quiet, often unnoticed signs of progress that mark real change. Thoughtful and compassionate, it offers reassurance to those in the middle of the work that healing is happening, even when it feels slow, messy, or incomplete.

Birth trauma can leave deep, invisible marks long after your baby arrives — but you don't have to carry them alone. If you're struggling with flashbacks, anxiety, or feeling unlike yourself, compassionate and specialist support is available right here in Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset.

This blog explores spirituality as a deeply personal journey, including faith, doubt, and the impact of spiritual abuse, and how counselling can support healing, clarity, and a renewed sense of meaning.

At PLACE TO TALK THERAPIES, we support adults experiencing sleep difficulties linked to anxiety, stress, trauma, depression, and emotional overwhelm. We offer in-person therapy in Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch, as well as online counselling across the UK. Many clients seek therapy when sleep problems begin to affect their mental health, relationships, or daily functioning.