Depression

Understanding Depression

Depression isn’t simply feeling sad — it’s often a deep sense of emptiness, disconnection, or exhaustion that can quietly take over. For some people, it feels like being weighed down by an invisible heaviness; for others, it’s a numbness that makes life feel colourless and flat. Everyday tasks — getting up, showering, eating, answering messages — can feel overwhelming.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, depression is now one of the most common mental health challenges worldwide. It can affect anyone, at any age, and it often creeps in slowly — sometimes following stress, loss, burnout, or major life change; sometimes for no clear reason at all.

Depression can also be linked to self-worth and unrealistic expectations. In today’s fast-moving world, we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others and trying to meet invisible standards. For those who are neurodivergent — living with ADHD, ASD, AuDHD, or sensory processing differences — this can be even more intense. Feeling “different,” masking to fit in, or struggling with focus and emotional regulation can quietly chip away at confidence, leading to withdrawal, overwhelm, and self-doubt.

But depression is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that your mind and body have been doing too much, for too long, without enough rest or balance. And that’s something we can gently start to change.

Solution Focused Therapy offers a safe, structured, and uplifting way to begin that change. Using a blend of talking therapy, NLP, CBT, hypnotherapy, and personalised tools and techniques, we work together to shift focus away from what’s gone wrong — and towards what’s possible. Small, achievable steps help rebuild motivation and confidence, creating new neural pathways that support calm, energy, and hope.

Sessions are gentle, forward-focused, and paced to suit you. There’s no pressure, no judgement, and no need to dwell on the past. Together, we’ll begin to quieten the mind, strengthen resilience, and help you reconnect with a version of life that feels lighter, steadier, and more your own.

“I started sessions with Clare during a time when my mental health had severely deteriorated due to an overload of anxiety, followed by a deep depression caused by a build up of stress in both my personal and professional life. I was struggling to manage my professional workload, cope with everyday events and not let family worries overwhelm me. I had got to the point where I felt ‘broken’ and needed to take some time off work.

I now understand how my brain works, what is going wrong when it isn’t and what I need to do before it gets to an unmanageable point again. I can recognise my limitations and have put in place some new ‘behaviours’ that have enabled me to manage the stresses I was not able to manage before. This is long term change, and what I needed. Clare has supported me in retraining my responses and reactions to stress. I cannot thank her enough. It really does work! EB”

EB has now returned to work, recognised her limitations and put firm boundaries in place.

“Clare really helped me to retune my way of thinking. I’d like to think I’m a calmer, better version of myself, and I’m definitely in a much better headspace since letting Clare in. I would 100% recommend giving hypnotherapy with Clare a go! TD”

“My sessions with Clare have made a significant improvement to my day to day life. I was sceptical at first, however, I am really happy with the outcome and I would highly recommend her! AS”

“When I started, I was totally bed-bound with no interest or motivation for anything. I wasn’t functioning or speaking to anyone. This week, I got a job and am amazed at my progression. It’s not always easy, but it is worth it. It’s no understatement to say that Clare has changed my life for the better. BS”

“Clare was recommended to me by my wife who had found her services very beneficial and suggested that I should seek her assistance with smoking cessation. I have been absolutely thrilled with the results. I went to Clare whilst totally addicted to nicotine – I had been vaping heavily for 3 years and prior to that had several periods where I would class myself as a smoker. I had also been using a nicotin inhaler. It’s been 6 months now and I am completely clean and have only had the tiniest cravings once or twice which I was easily able to resist. I wanted to quit completely before starting the therapy but I needed someone to help me cross the finishing line and Clare certainly did that. From the moment she began with the introductory phase she made me really feel that it was something I could do. Clare has a very personable, friendly and down to earth manner, she was able to make me completely open and honest with her and I would highly recommend her to anyone who wants to quit forever, she has made a huge difference to my health and wellbeing. SB”

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