7 Years as a Counsellor: What I’ve Learned About Navigating Change.
July 2025 marks seven years since I qualified as a counsellor. As I look back over those years, I’m struck by how much has changed; some changes have been great, others challenging but all of them have shaped the person and counsellor I am today.
Stepping Into Self-Employment
When I first qualified, I threw myself into the world of self-employment. I was the master of my own destiny! Learning to run a business was a challenge I embraced. Setting my own hours, taking holidays when I chose, and working in line with my values felt like freedom. My new boss (me!) quickly became my favourite.
The only downside? Fluctuating income but even that felt manageable. I was living the counselling dream: my own office in Bristol, a steady flow of clients and a sense of purpose.
Then Came the Pandemic
But then what happened next was something I could never have predicted when I was sitting writing my 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals, a global pandemic! In January 2020 I packed my office pot plant into my car thinking I’d be returning in 3 weeks not knowing that was the last time I would work in my office. There would be no returning to old normal for me, like the rest of the world I would have to navigate a ‘new normal’ every 5 minutes.
A Life-Changing Surprise
A few months later I discovered I was pregnant, something I didn’t think was going to happen after 10 years of marriage, but it was a wonderful surprise! It wasn’t the pregnancy I expected as every medical professional I met wore a mask, I attended my midwife appointments alone and there was no meeting other expectant parents at antenatal classes (although I did make a good friend from the WhatsApp group the local midwife set up). I was very fortunate to have a smooth pregnancy and the rules changed just in time so that my husband could attend each scan with me and be with me when our daughter was born. At age 39 I became a mum, as exciting as that was it was a huge change. I no longer had the freedom I was so used to.
Moving House and Starting Again
The next big change was leaving the village I’d grown up in, just outside Bristol, and moving to Combwich in West Somerset. It was something I chose, something I wanted and yet still, it was hard.
Leaving friends, family, and the familiar behind was emotional. Around the same time, the country said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth and began adjusting to saying "King Charles" instead. (I’m still getting used to it!)
Another Milestone This July
This July brings another change, my daughter will finish pre-school and move up to big school, something she is super excited about and something I, like many parents, have mixed feelings about. She’s no longer a little kid anymore, she’s growing up.
It marks the start of 14 years of term dates and the end of spontaneous term-time holidays!
What I’ve Learned About Navigating Change
Change, even good change, can be hard. It brings stress, mixed emotions, and a need to adjust again and again. Over the past seven years, here’s what I’ve learned about change that might help you too:
It’s okay to feel a mixture of emotions.
Two things can be true at once. You can be sad and excited, like I was when we moved house. You can feel grief and relief. Emotions don’t cancel each other out they can sit side by side and that’s okay.
You’re allowed to change your mind.
Something that felt right a year ago might not work anymore and that doesn’t mean you failed. You’re allowed to go back, pivot, or choose something new. Very little in life is truly set in stone.
When change isn’t your choice, look for the choices you do have.
When the pandemic hit, I moved my practice online so I could keep supporting my clients. It was unfamiliar and a bit scary but I chose to do a training course in online counselling and it gave me the confidence to carry on. Now, online work is a core part of what I do and I love it!
Keep hold of small routines.
If everything around you is changing; a house move, a new job, a new baby, try to hold on to a few familiar rituals. That morning coffee, a favourite walk, a Sunday phone call. Tiny habits can help you feel grounded.
Stay connected.
Change can make it easy to lose touch with people but it’s also when connection matters most. Even a few light-hearted messages, a quick FaceTime or a coffee can help you feel more yourself again.
Whether you're facing a big life change or a subtle shift, be kind to yourself. Mixed feelings are part of being human. And if you’re struggling to find your way through, talking it through can really help.
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