Mckellar Counselling
Live Last read · last published · next check
What’s your morning routine? Whether we’re planning to set the world to rights and get a tonne of work done today, or take our time with things and look after ourselves, how we start off the day can have a big impact in our mood, energy levels and the kind of day we end up having. With modern life as busy as it is, we’re not often taking time for ourselves and easing ourselves into the day. Maybe…
Earlier this week, the EHRC guidance about single sex spaces came into effect across England, Wales and Scotland. I’ve spoken many times before about how it is completely unworkable and benefits no-one. But it’s here all the same. Everyone and their grandmother also seems obligated to express negative opinions about trans people in single sex spaces right now. It's everywhere from vox pops to…
Does faith have a place in the counselling room or does it have to be a totally secular environment? Does the very rational and logical approach of something like CBT, allow for faith or are they naturally in opposition? It’s something I’ve been reflecting on recently. First of all, I want to be clear there is faith-centred ‘therapy’ out there that is more akin to talking to a minister; discussing…
The expression "emotional affair" is a bit of a loaded one, isn’t it? There’s a lot of judgement bundled up with it. The sort of thing that someone might be accused of in an argument. It’s perhaps even a bit glib and reductive; potentially jealously policing friendships and isolating people from sources of support. That’s something we can see in abusive relationships and something we have to be…
As I write this, we’re a few days away from Glasgow’s Pride on 18th July, and 2025-26 has certainly brought challenges for the LGBTQ+ community. Now more than ever is when we need to stand up and be counted. A time to say “enough!” In the last year, the attacks on the trans community have deepened, bankrolled by billionaires and foreign right-wingers. The, at best flawed, EHRC guidance is part of…
What do you think of when you hear the expression “compassion fatigue”? You might perhaps think about someone getting jaded, or exhausted by trying to support so many different causes, the endless horrors of social media, or tired from looking after someone and neglecting themselves. People sometimes casually use the expression in that way. We might even rail against what it’s suggesting. Surely…
Whether we’re lucky enough to be able to afford a proper holiday, or we stay local on our days off, taking time away from work and day to day routine is important. Constant stress is not good for us and impacts both our physical and mental health, and taking time off helps us recharge, heal and reset. A review of data from 32 studies into the impact of holidays on wellbeing by the BPS found that,…
We carry around with us biases and assumptions; ways in which we see what is normal to us and how our world works. Part of how our mind works is to see patterns and apply rules. Our brain does this quickly because it’s a useful survival trick; we only need to make that association with danger once to avoid that danger in the future. False positives don’t matter so much when it’s a matter of life…
This week is Men’s Health week here in the UK. It’s an annual event organised by Men’s Health Forum that raises awareness of issues facing men’s health and encourages positive action. I’ve written in the past about the persistent challenges we have with mens mental health (Mens Mental Health in 2025 and What about Men?) but where are we at the moment? According to some recent research from BUPA…
Recently I took part in a new podcast focusing on health for older gay and bisexual men* and I’ve been reflecting on how we talk about mental health, or maybe more accurately how we can start conversations about mental health. In some areas it can feel like we’re making a lot of progress, but according to the Mental Health charity, Mind, there has been a gradual annual decline in mental health…
