Home - Ali Harris Therapy

I’m Ali

I’m a counsellor & psychotherapist
and I help people feel better.

I specialise in helping people who are experiencing:

Depression
Anxiety
Bereavement

to lead happier & more satifying lives.

Watch my video about how counselling & psychotherapy can help you to feel better

If you’re struggling right now I’m here to provide you with some safe, confidential space, where you can say anything you like & I will listen warmly, respectfully & with an open mind.

I want to help you to learn to manage your all your difficult feelings and experiences, so that you can feel:

happier in your day to day life
more satisfied with your relationship with yourself & your family & friends
less overwhelmed when bad stuff happens
better able to think & make smart decisions under pressure
able to bounce back from setbacks more quickly & easily than before

The best way to find out if you’d like to work with me is to arrange a chat, so you can

tell me what’s troubling you
ask me any questions you have
get a sense of what I’m like
find out if I’m someone you could talk to

Sound good? Book in for a chat here
An initial chat is FREE, so you have nothing to lose!

aliharristherapy

Mum, Counsellor & Psychotherapist; I help people feel better, if you’d like a free chat about how I can help you, DM me now 😊

⛔️ There’s absolutely NO NEED for you to cre

⛔️ There’s absolutely NO NEED for you to create a ‘new you’ in honour of the New Year!!

🤷‍♀️ I know I keep repeating this message but I’m not sorry, because diet culture & capitalism, which profit so hugely from undermining our mental health, never shuts up so I guess I can’t either and they tend to shout their loudest about now!

🤦🏻‍♀️ Please do not feel you must overhaul your personality, your size or any other aspect of your being in order to be considered worthy of respect, love, friendship and happiness.

💎 You deserve all that good stuff already, just because you’re you.

🤷‍♀️ I know that may sound a bit naff.
🌈 But I really believe that!
😉 So there!

🧚‍♀️ Wishing you the best of things and certainly a good deal better than 2020 dealt us all.

💥 Kick ass, ok?!!

Illustration by @wonder_doodles

A lot of bad shit went down this year. And it was

A lot of bad shit went down this year.
And it was a privilege and a pleasure to be allowed to be there for my clients each week.

- No amount of therapy can raise the dead.
- Talking cannot cure Covid 19.
- Counselling does not magically restore ruined livelihoods.
- Therapy cannot zap us back to our much-missed ‘old normal’.

But what therapy can do, and did do this year, was to help struggling people:

- Feel seen, heard & validated
- Begin to love & accept themselves
- Allow & experience their feelings
- Grieve for their losses
- Take pleasure in their victories
- Learn to manage the negative effects of difficult feelings, experiences and situations.

So while I’m keen to say ‘Good riddance’ to 2020 on the one hand, I won’t say the whole thing was a bust.

We got a lot of good shit done in our virtual therapy room!

I’d like to thank all my clients - I’m looking forward to seeing you again next week and seeing what 2021 has in store for us.

Whatever it is, we’ll find a way to manage it 🥂

Love from Ali xx

Art by @poppyspapercuts

🤔 It’s easy to criticise - to tear yourself o

🤔 It’s easy to criticise - to tear yourself or someone else down.

🤷‍♀️ But you do have a choice - you can pull things to pieces or you can start building.

🧱 You don’t need to dismantle yourself and re-create yourself according to someone else’s model.

🥇 We don’t need a ‘new you’

👍 You are already perfect just the way you are.

☠️ All that needs removing are the ideas that you have taken in that tell you that you’re less-than.

🦋 Then you can be fully you, as you were always meant to be.

🌈 I know what I want to devote my energies to.

🤔 How about you?

🗓 I’ve got a couple of spots left for counselling starting in January 2021

⏰ I offer everyone a free 60 min chat so you can tell me what you’re struggling with, ask me any questions and find out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👩‍💻 Book in using the link in my bio.

Illustration by @theresgoodinstore

Merry Christmas 😊🎄❄️🎅🎁⛄️

Merry Christmas 😊🎄❄️🎅🎁⛄️

🌈 The Mental Health Space for Mums is a safe sp

🌈 The Mental Health Space for Mums is a safe space that centres mums, their concerns, their cares and day to day struggles & offers the chance to have those struggles seen, heard and validated.

💎 It’s a place where group members give & receive emotional support, vent in confidence, & help each other learn to manage difficult feelings & experiences.

👋 It’s run by me - Ali - counsellor, psychotherapist & fellow mum.

☔️ If you’d like access to this active & lovely little community of mums, you’d be very welcome!

😊 See you there!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mentalhealthspaceformums/

Lovely new testimonial from another happy therapy

Lovely new testimonial from another happy therapy client!

If you're struggling with difficult feelings & experiences, I'd love to find out if I could support you with some counselling.

I offer everyone a free initial 60 min chat so we can find out if I'm someone you could really talk to.

We can take our time, you can ask me any questions, tell me what's going on for you and see where it takes us!

Book your chat now, the link to do that is in my bio

😊 I recently quit an expensive year-long traini

😊 I recently quit an expensive year-long training to be a couples therapist just 4 classes, 25 clinical hours and one assignment away from finishing.

🤔 Why?

🤷‍♀️ Because life doesn’t always go the way you plan for it to go.

🤦🏻‍♀️ I was trying to fit too much in.

♻️ Pushing myself too hard in too many directions.

🔎 Sometimes the secret to success isn’t ‘pushing through’ but narrowing the scope of what you focus on.

☝️I may yet get the chance to complete the training.

🤷‍♀️ And I may not.

🤪 But driving myself nuts trying to do everything leads to physical and emotional burn-out.

🌈 So I’ll take my own advice and focus on what’s most important here and now, on what I CAN control (instead of what I can’t).

🦋 I’ll hope for the best that I’ll get to complete the training later, and let the ‘what ifs’ float away on the breeze.

⭐️ I feel light.

😊 Which tells me I’ve made the right decision.

💎 If you’re struggling with overwhelm and need a hand working things out, I’d love to see if I could help.

⏰ I offer everyone a free initial chat via phone or video call - 60 minutes to tell me what’s on your mind, ask any questions plus talk about anything you like to help you work out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👩‍💻 To book yours, click this link:

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

Illustration by @crazyheadcomics

😡 Know what really pisses me off? The idea that

😡 Know what really pisses me off? The idea that a good mum is a woman who always puts herself last.

🤔 Somehow mums are supposed to put everyone else’s needs first...

🤷‍♀️ ....whilst simultaneously meeting standards for appearance and behaviour that would require inordinate amounts of time devoted to physical & emotional self-care.

😤 It f*cking sucks and I’m tired of it!

👥 I work with so many mums who feel like they’re failing.

😫 But actually they are being failed by a society that asks too much of them.

🥺 And gives them too little in return.

⛓ If we want to free ourselves from this madness then we need to speak up.

🌈 Identify our needs.

🦋 And make sure they’re met.

🤷‍♀️ A carer who does not care for herself becomes embittered, passive aggressive, anxious, depressed and burned out.

👀 Our children are watching.

💎 Let’s give them something more positive and empowering to internalise for the future.

💪🏼 And let’s take back the present moment for ourselves.

🤔 What do you think?

😊 If you’d like some help identifying and meeting your neglected emotional needs, I’d love to support you.

🗣 Let’s chat - we can take a whole hour to think about what’s going on for you, you can ask questions about how I work and you can find out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👥 There’s a range of ways we could work together:

🌹 1:1 therapy
💎 Restore 12 Week Group Course for Overwhelmed Mums
🔧 Mental Health MOTs
⭐️ My free FB group @mentalhealthspaceformums

👩‍💻 If you’d like to book in first that free chat
click this link now:

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

If anyone knows who I can credit for this image pls comment or DM me

#aliharristherapy #mumlife #mumsofinstagram #mumssupportingmums #mummylife #mummydiaries #momlife #momsofinstagram #mommy #selfcare #selfcarefirst #stalbansmums #harpendenmums #wheathampsteadmums #hertfordshirelife #selfcarematters #motherhoodjourney #motherhood #therapyworks #therapistsofinstagram #counselling #psychotherapy #feministmemes

☝️Before you can change you need to learn to l

☝️Before you can change you need to learn to love and accept yourself exactly the way you are right now.

🤷‍♀️ Because what you resist persists.

✂️ When you suppress, deny or avoid difficult feelings, thoughts, ideas and experiences you are attempting to cut yourself off from parts of yourself.

😀 It’s easy to love and approve of the parts of yourself you like.

😧 It can be hard to own the aspects of yourself that make you feel sad, ashamed or disappointed.

💖But you need and deserve compassion.

🪞 And the person you need it from most is yourself.

🌱 Positive emotional change begins with self-love.

🌈 If you’d like some support working on that, I’d love to find out if I could help.

🗣 Let’s chat - we can take a whole hour to think about what’s going on for you, you can ask questions about how I work and you can find out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👥 There’s a range of ways we could work together:

🌹 1:1 therapy
💎 Restore 12 Week Group Course for Overwhelmed Mums
🔧 Mental Health MOTs
⭐️ My free FB group @mentalhealthspaceformums

👩‍💻 If you’d like to book in first that free chat
click this link now:

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

Meme by @therapy.with.jordan

#aliharristherapy #therapymemes #therapy #mumlifeuk #mumlife #mumsofinstagram #therapistsofinstagram #mumssupportingmums #mummylife #motherhood #selflove #selfcompassion #selfcompassionjourney #selflovetips #selflovejourney #selfloveisthebestlove #selfacceptance #selfacceptancejourney #stalbansmums #harpendenmums #hertfordshiremums #psychotherapymemes #counselling

🤦🏻‍♀️ Fuck-ups ARE inevitable & CAN be

🤦🏻‍♀️ Fuck-ups ARE inevitable & CAN be useful BUT when you find yourself making the same mistakes over & over, seemingly unable to learn any kind of lesson, it can be kinda depressing, huh?

🥺 You feel hopeless, trapped in error, unable to break free.

🤷‍♀️ Why do I keep doing this to myself?!” you wonder.

😫 You feel doomed to despair.
Incapable of change.

🙈 “Why does this keep on happening to me?!”

🌈 I can help.

💎 I am trained to help you find the meaning in your stuckness.

🤔 To help you understand which belief or idea or experience has been holding you back.

🔎 To help you locate the lesson in your repeating error.

🦋 And help you empower yourself to finally learn that lesson and break free of the pattern of mistakes.

😊 Sound good?

👩‍💻 Get in touch and let’s talk.

👥 I offer everyone a free 60 minute chat.

📲 Book yours here and let’s turn our minds to your emotional liberation!

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

Illustration by @katieabey

☔️ Your problems are not going to solve themse

☔️ Your problems are not going to solve themselves - but they can be managed so that they don’t overwhelm you.

☀️ You can learn to manage them so that whatever’s going on for you, you can be ok.

🌈 If you’d like some help with that, I’d love to see if I could support you.

🗣 Let’s chat - we can take a whole hour to think about what’s going on for you, you can ask questions about how I work and you can find out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👥 There’s a range of ways we could work together:

🌹 1:1 therapy (wait-list only atm)
💎 Restore 12 Week Group Course for Overwhelmed Mums
🔧 Mental Health MOTs
⭐️ My free FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/602340900479751/?ref=share

👩‍💻 If you’d like to book in first that free chat
click this link now:

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

Illustration by @mytherapisthelps

#aliharristherapy #therapymemes #mumlifeuk #mumlife #mumsofinstagram #mummylife #motherhoodjourney #motherhoodmoments #stalbansmums #harpendenmums #redbournmums #hertfordshiremums #themotherhood #memestagram #therapyworks #counselling #psychotherapy #depressionawareness #anxietyawareness #changeispossible #mindsetmatters #changeyourthoughts #changequotes #problemsolving #momproblems #anxietyproblems #solutionfocused

👉 There she is, in the mirror, the only person

👉 There she is, in the mirror, the only person that can really make your life better.

😔 No matter how powerless you might feel.

🤦🏻‍♀️ However down, depressed, anxiety-ridden or dispirited.

💎 That woman in the mirror knows you better than anyone, and can change everything for you, if needs be - given the chance.

😫 Now it’s possible that people and/or circumstances have convinced you that you’re no good, worthless, talentless, doomed, chronically unlucky and utterly hopeless.

💩 So I just popped by to remind you that this is bullshit.

🌰 There may be parts of you that are lying like seeds in your being.

🤷‍♀️ Seeds don’t look very inspiring at first, I know.

🤔 They seem dry and dead - utterly lifeless.

🌱 But put them in conditions even remotely resembling good enough to grow.

🌸 Between paving stones, wall crevices, wherever, and watch those babies BLOOM!

😊 It’s no different with you.

💩 Take all the shit that you have gone through and let’s use it as fertiliser to grow better things for you.

🤝 If you need help or support just reach out and I’ll do my best to help, either personally or via referrals.

👩‍💻 Let’s chat - book in using this link - initial chats are free and do not necessarily have to end with you signing up for counselling 😊

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

#stalbansmums #harpendenmums #hertfordshiremums

This is so true @katieabey!! whenever I have a str

This is so true @katieabey!! whenever I have a strong and seemingly over-the-top reaction to someone I KNOW it’s probably because they remind me of an aspect of myself that I’m uncomfortable with.

Once you connect to that feeling and you’re able to accept and maybe even soften a little towards yourself (and the other person) it usually goes away.

What do you think?

#aliharristherapy #katieabey #selflovejourney #selfreflection #mumlifeuk #motherhoodjourney #motherhoodunfiltered #mumsofinstagram #mummylife #counselling #psychotherapy #therapyworks #depressionhelp #depressionawareness #anxietyrelief #anxietyawareness #anxietysupport #selfknowledge #mindsposelflove #knowthyself #knowyourself #selfreminder #selfawareness #selfgrowth #stalbansmums #harpendenmums #wheathsmpsteadmums

🤦🏻‍♀️ Slapping on a happy face when yo

🤦🏻‍♀️ Slapping on a happy face when you actually feel crappy just makes a bad situation feel worse.

☹️ Sometimes it feels necessary - you might worry that you’ll become known as a bit of a fun-sponge if you don’t hide how you really feel.

🥳 You fear that people only want to hang out with the ‘happy’ or ‘fun’ version of you.

🤷‍♀️ And there are people like that out there.

People who can’t bear to be in the presence of emotional discomfort, so they platitude you into a psychological corner:

🙄 “Think positive!!”
🙄 “We all feel down sometimes but...”
🙄 “You chose your own reality!”

🏃‍♀️ Until you plaster on a smile, or run for the hills.

🏔 Personally, I recommend the hills in such cases.

😀 They’re quiet and they tolerate emotional authenticity quite well.

🤷‍♀️ You can’t help how you feel.

😫 And trying to avoid your real feelings only makes your mental health worse.

👀 Seek out people and places where you can be your real self without fear of reproach.

🌈 If those feel a bit thin on the ground, therapy is a great option too.

⏰ If you’d like to find out more about that, get in touch and book your free 60 minute chat.

🦋 We can talk about what’s going on for you, you can ask me any questions and get a sense if I’m someone who you could really talk to.

💖 Sound good?

👩‍💻 Use the link to book your chat now!

https://tinyurl.com/FreeInitialChat

Meme by @intro_verts

😳 Impending lockdown #2 sure seems to be turnin

😳 Impending lockdown #2 sure seems to be turning November into something of a damp squib.

😫 So you could absolutely be forgiven if you’re searching for ways to dump unpleasant emotional sensations.

🤯It’s tempting at to try to:

🙈 Deny
🙈 Avoid
🙈 Cover

😱Your difficult feelings but this is a bad plan.

🤷‍♀️ Why?

🚿 Because feelings need to flow in order to go.

🌱 If you don’t let your difficult feelings them flow, they grow...

💩 ...And eventually back up in your system.

⚠️ Emotional blockages are bad.

🤦🏻‍♀️ You end up feeling stuck and hopeless.

♻️ They create anxiety, depression and other psychological nasties.

🗣 If you’re feeling a bit blocked or psychologically ‘backed up’ the cure is talking and feeling with a person who’s not afraid of emotional discomfort.

🌈 Someone who won’t:

💥 Judge
💥 Advise
💥 Or tell anyone your secrets

But will:

👂 Listen
💕 Empathise
🤝 & help reframe troubling situations

👥 Like a therapist?
🙋🏼‍♀️ Like me

🤔 Sound good?

⏰ I offer free 60 minute chats to anyone who’d like to find out if I’m someone who can help them feel better.

👩‍💻 Click the link to book your chat now and let’s see if I can help you feel better:

https://hello.dubsado.com/public/form/view/5f2ea63075d9c5da1e7185fc

⚠️ Before you hire a therapist please make sur

⚠️ Before you hire a therapist please make sure they’re qualified to help you.

🤦🏻‍♀️I’ve seen an alarming upswing recently in the number of self-appointed, completely unqualified individuals who seem to think they can do a weekend course and set up a practice.

🤷‍♀️ Don’t be afraid to really interview your prospective therapist.

❓Where did they train?
❓For how long?
❓Which regulatory body are they with?
❓Do they have an up to date DBS?
❓How much clinical experience have they had?

💖 The relationship between you and your therapist is super important - but they do actually need more than half a clue about what they’re doing to help you safely and effectively.

📣 Ok, PSA over.

🌈 If you need some support or just help finding support for someone else, get in touch and let’s chat.

👩‍💻 You can book your free chat using this link now:

https://hello.dubsado.com/public/form/view/5f2ea63075d9c5da1e7185fc

Illustration by Memes to Discuss in Therapy

😭 If you’re a mum and your hiding out to cry

😭 If you’re a mum and your hiding out to cry over how unfulfilled and dog-tired you feel, you’re not alone.

🤔 If you’re wondering if you could EVER feel happier and enjoy you life more...

☔️ ....Or if there’s a way to learn how to bounce back from difficult experiences instead of feeling trapped in overwhelm...

🌈 Restore: The Empowering Mental a Health Course for Mums

Which provides:

🌹 Emotional Support
⭐️ Mind-Set Tools
🧘‍♀️ Self-Care Strategies
☝️& Accountability
(so you follow through!)

👋 Run by me: Ali, a single mum, counsellor & psychotherapist

🔥 I specialise in helping mums like you feel better, so you can create happier, more satisfying lives!

👩‍💻 To book a Zoom call to chat about the course click on the link in my bio.

Meme by @littlemiss_therapy

😫 If motherhood is kicking the crap out of your

😫 If motherhood is kicking the crap out of your mental health

😔 If you’re depression is making you anxious
😫 Your anxiety is making you depressed.

☔️ And you’d like to learn how to bounce back from difficult experiences & feelings (instead of feel overwhelmed by them.

👩🏾‍🦱🧒🏻👱🏻👩🏽🧑🏼‍🦰
If you like to do that alongside 5 other mums, who feel similarly to you.

💎 Mums who also periodically feel arse-whipped by motherhood (and life in general)

💖 Then you should really check out my new course:

🌈 Restore: The Empowering Mental a Health Course for Mums

Which provides:

🌹 Emotional Support
⭐️ Mind-Set Tools
🧘‍♀️ Self-Care Strategies
☝️& Accountability
(so you follow through!)

🏄‍♀️ To help you feel you can ride life’s waves
🌊 Rather than drown under them.

👋 The course is run by me: Ali, a single mum, counsellor & psychotherapist

🔥 I specialise in helping mums like you feel better, so you can create happier, more satisfying lives!

👩‍💻 To book a Zoom call to chat about the course go to the link in my bio.

Meme reposted from @memestodiscussintherapy

☝️There’s no such thing as an over-reaction.

☝️There’s no such thing as an over-reaction.

🙈 Seemingly ‘harmless’ things can strike terror into anyone’s heart for ‘no reason’

🤷‍♀️ It’s not funny, really, is it?

🌱 Feelings arise spontaneously.

🛑 You can’t decide what you feel and what you don’t.

🧠 Your body & your brain instantly react to your thoughts & experiences.

🤯 If those experiences have caused you to feel:

😖 Panic
😱 Fear
😯 Shame
🤕 Pain

🔥 Then your reactions will be INTENSE - but they aren’t OVER reactions - they are likely to be in proportion to your previous experiences.

🤔 People who don’t know your history might see over-reaction but seriously.

🤷‍♀️ What the hell do they know?’

😉 So...

🌈 If you want to grab control back and feel better, you need to learn to:

🦋 Feel & understand all your feelings.
🧘‍♀️ Relax your body & mind.
💖 Become self-compassionate.

🤝 If you’d like some help with that, I’d love to see if u could support you.

🗣 Let’s chat - we can take a whole hour to think about what’s going on for you, you can ask questions about how I work and you can find out if I’m someone you could really talk to.

👥 There’s a range of ways we could work together:

🌹 1:1 therapy (wait-list only atm)
💎 Restore 12 Week Group Course for Overwhelmed Mums
🔧 Mental Health MOTs
⭐️ My free FB group @mentalhealthspaceformums

👩‍💻 If you’d like to book in that free chat, PM me now or visit www.aliharristherapy.com for more info.

Meme by @coolest_kid_on_the_block

😫 If you’re struggling with your mental healt

😫 If you’re struggling with your mental health
🤯 If you could do with some extra support
☔️ And you’d like to learn how to bounce back from difficult experiences & feelings (instead of feel overwhelmed by them.)

💖 Then you should really check out my new psycho-educational course:

🌈 Restore: The Empowering Mental a Health Course for Mums

Which provides:

🌹 Emotional Support
⭐️ Mind-Set Tools
🧘‍♀️ Self-Care Strategies that Stick
☝️& Accountability (so you follow through!)

👋 I’m Ali, a single mum, counsellor & psychotherapist.

🔥 I specialise in helping mums like you feel better, so you can create happier, more satisfying lives!

💻 The course will run over Zoom for now
🤔 I can deliver it 1:1 or in a small group (4-6)
🗓 We’ll meet twice a week.
⛔️ There’ll be a private FB group for extra support between meetings.
💖 No one has to share more than they want

👩‍💻 To book a Zoom call to chat about the course PM me now or email ali@aliharristherapy.com
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#aliharristherapy #mumlifeuk #muminbusiness #mumsofinstagram #mumpreneur #lifecoachformums #wheathampsteadmums #stalbansmums #hertfordshiremums #harpendenmums #mumofboys #mumboss #mumfashion #mamabear #mumlife #mum #mumslife #depressionhelp #anxietyawareness #helpmum #mentalhealthformums

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