Thoughts on therapy, wellbeing and the work.
Articles on mental health, therapy and running a practice, written by Chris Colcomb.
What It Really Costs to Run a Private Therapy Practice in the UK
I have wanted to write this for years, but I’ve always run away from it. My parents always taught me “never talk about money, politics or religion”. That script is about...
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Why Pride still matters in 2026 - and what therapy has to do with it....
June arrives again, and every year someone asks whether we still need Pride. In 2026, in a political climate where trans rights are being rolled back across multiple...
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Why Choosing a Local Private Therapist Might Be the Best Decision You Make
Deciding to seek therapy is a significant step - it certainly was for me all those years ago.
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The Four Bridges - From shame back to vulnerability, and how to walk across
Last week, we looked at the Compass of Shame, Donald Nathanson's map of the four directions we tend to run when shame shows up: withdrawal, attack other, attack self...
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A Small Action You Can Take This Week - Noticing your own Compass of Shame
This year's Mental Health Awareness Week (11 to 17 May 2026) has a simple theme: take action .
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The Healthy Mind Platter: Nourishing Your Brain Every Day
We’re all familiar with the idea of a balanced diet, a plate filled with the right mix of nutrients to keep our bodies running well. But what about our minds?...
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Victim, Rescuer, Persecutor: the triangle keeping you stuck
Stephen Karpman drew the Drama Triangle in 1968. Three corners: Victim, Rescuer, Persecutor. He noticed that in stuck conflicts, between couples, families, colleagues...
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What a Racket! Are you really feeling what you think you're feeling?
When I was introduced to the concept of "Rackets" in my Transactional Analysis psychotherapy training, I didn't get it and switched off. As with many psychotherapy...
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Why would I choose private therapy over free NHS services?
This is a question I get asked a lot and I thought a blog post may help. I should add a health warning - this is my opinion, and I am really aware other people may think...
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Sleeping Works
The more I practice as a psychotherapist, the more I have come to the belief that good sleep is the absolute foundation of wellbeing.
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Conversion Therapy - Current UKCP Issues
As a Registered Member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), I am deeply disturbed by their withdrawal from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on...
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Mental Health Self Care - 8 themes to consider...
Self care has become something of a buzzword in the modern world. We see all sorts of suggestions out there - very often they are behavioural suggestions like putting a...
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Gratitude, and why I should practice it...
Practising gratitude is a small act which can have significant impacts on mental health and overall well-being.
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I'll write my blog tomorrow. A guide to procrastination by an expert....
It's been 8 long months since I last wrote a blog article. That sounds like a confession right? It also sounds like some massive procrastination going on right here!
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Is it really OK to not be OK?
“It’s OK to not be OK” - it’s got to be one of the most over used cliches of our time.
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How to optimise your mental wellness - 5 simple ideas...
We all talk about mental health, and this undoubtedly covers a spectrum of states of wellness. Some people talk about mental disorder - although I am not sure this is...
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The problem with collective anxiety...
For the first time in a while, I have noticed that I am suffering from a little bit more Anxiety than normal. I’ve been wondering what that is all about and, as seems to...
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Fear vs Confidence - The Struggle is Real
It really has been far too long since my last blog article. So it's time to get my act together and do something about it! This is the point where I would normally make...
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What's driving you?
As children, our parents load us all up with commands about what to do or what not to do....
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Do I need Counselling, Psychotherapy or Coaching?
Many of us know something about the disciplines of counselling, psychotherapy and coaching, but perhaps not all of us understand which approach might be best suited to...
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Working with eating disorders
I was sad to learn of the death of Big Brother star Nikki Grahame yesterday. Maybe you'll think less of me for being a Big Brother fan, but I make no apology! The show...
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The Last Dance - Coping with bereavement
A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog article about coping with loss. The article was about loss in general - whether that was the loss of a loved one, a job, one's...
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Why pay for counselling and therapy?
These days you hear everywhere about free talking therapies provided by the NHS. So why would you pay to see a counsellor or psychotherapist?
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Coping with grief and loss
Loss comes in many forms, and grief is the process that is likely to follow. People think that bereavement is the main cause of grief. But grief may also be for loss of...
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Suicidal Feelings - How to help
This article discusses how to help someone with suicidal thoughts. Talking Works.
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Covid-19 and Collective Trauma
The effects of Covid-19 on our collective trauma. How to move past it and thrive.
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Walking Works - A Welton Wander
So I thought this time, I'd post a walk that was a little beyond Cottingham. back on New Years Eve, I went off to do a favourite walk of mine - The "Welton Wander". I...
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Walking Works - Cottingham Circular
My normal activities are as a counsellor and personal coach - which is why I run a practice called "Talking Works". However, I have discovered over the last few months a...
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Survive and thrive during lockdown
Whilst it may be true to say that a 'lockdown' might control the spread of Coronavirus, the negative effects on our physical and metal health should not be ignored.
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How to make New Year Resolutions stick
The ancient Babylonians were said to have been some of the first to make new New Year Resolutions some 4000 years ago. It's a practice many of us choose to undertake...
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Talking Works Factsheet
I have put together a summary sheet all about my Talking Works service for individuals. This tells you a little more about what I do, as well as making an offer of six...
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The Mental Health Continuum
I'm a great believer of keeping things simple. Where mental health is concerned, we all get bamboozled with jargon-like terms, labels and 'conditions'. These will be...
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Surviving a lonely Christmas
I always look forward to Christmas and I am fortunate to spend it with the people who ae important to me. But for many, the anxiety created by a lonely Christmas can be...
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Talking Therapies Online? Really?
Holding coaching, counselling and therapy sessions online is something many of us have been forced to face in 2020 - the year of Coronavirus.
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7 Common Myths About Therapy
I've been 'doing therapy' on and off for a few years now. These days, it's an essential part of my trade - you can't be an effective therapist unless you're experiencing...
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Cottingham - my saviour!
Starting a new venture during a global pandemic has been a challenge to say the least. How do you keep your sanity in such challenging times? Well, the answer for me has...
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Find the child within....
Within the field of psychotherapy, I am fascinated by the world of Transactional Analysis. One of the key concepts within this vast subject is that of Ego States.
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What to do when emotions take over
We all feel discomfort from time to time. But how often do we take the time to examine what is really going on?
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Welcome to Talking Works
I am very proud to introduce my Talking Works blog to the website. Over the next few months, I'm hoping to add some useful articles and resources here. Please revisit...
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