I want to wish you the warmest and best wishes for 2023, and I hope that the year brings what you are aiming for.
Many thanks to everyone who I connected with last year and to those who were part of my journey, either directly or by offering support and guidance. The year offered many enriching experiences in counselling, coaching and developing and delivering training which took me to various parts of Scotland, as well as to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Croatia - including presenting at the European Association for Reality Therapy Faculty Conference, educating medical students at Edinburgh University and being part of the Mens Mental Health panel at the Scottish Wellbeing Festival.
I enjoyed my work online and using video - including some more media work - and I valued so many face to face connections from one to one meetings to with teams and larger groups and to conferences and events once again including one of the highlights at ACE Aware Nation in Glasgow. I have enjoyed witnessing the power of the combination of physical and mental activity for our health with Street Soccer Scotland and during my Mens Wellbeing Walks in my community in Edinburgh and to continuing to work in Primary Schools and Secondary Schools, as well as offering my experience to the Destiny Project SCIO as a Board Member and Mental Health & Wellbeing Advisor.
The foundation to all of this has been a continued conscious effort to work on my own development and healing. We have all experienced some form of emotional trauma in our lives. This might be historic or current, or as is often the case - a combination. Investing the time and effort to do what we need to do to resolve the emotional issues that we are facing is not only something that I would recommend, but something that is as essential for a healthy future as trying to eat, drink and exercise as well as we can.
No one is immune from mental health struggles, and whilst I am grateful for all of my education and professional training, lived experienced is our most important teacher and guide.
I look forward to many more connections, to growing existing and new relationships and to the journey ahead.
As well as on this website, you can connect with me @NowCounselling on Twitter and @NowCounsellingOfficial on Instagram and Sean Humphreys on Facebook.