Jo’s Blog

Learning to trust yourself again

Many of us have learnt to trust other people’s opinions more than our own thoughts, feelings and experiences. This article explores how self-trust can become weakened, why anxiety keeps us searching for certainty, and how we can begin developing greater confidence in ourselves, including trusting our future selves to respond to situations we cannot solve in advance.

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What if I’m the problem?

Do you find yourself assuming you’ve done something wrong whenever a relationship feels uncertain? This article explores why some of us are so quick to blame ourselves, how anxiety and a fragile sense of self can keep that pattern alive, and why making a mistake is very different from believing that you are the problem.

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When your mind wants certainty

When we're anxious, guilty or uncertain, it's easy to assume our feelings must be telling us something important. But what if they're simply part of being human? Explore how psychological flexibility can help you separate facts from assumptions, make room for difficult emotions and move forward without needing absolute certainty.

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What actually happens in your first therapy session?

Starting therapy can feel like a big step, especially when you don't know what to expect. In this blog, I'll walk you through what typically happens in a first therapy session, helping to answer some of the most common questions and hopefully making those first steps feel a little less daunting.

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Who are you when you’re not being productive?

What happens to your sense of self when you’re not being productive, useful, or “on top of things”? This blog explores the uncomfortable link between self-worth and achievement, and why slowing down can bring up guilt, anxiety, and self-doubt. If your value has become tied to what you do, this is a gentle invitation to consider who you are underneath the performance.

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When your self-worth depends on other people’s reactions

Many people who struggle with people-pleasing unknowingly base their sense of self on how others react to them. Praise can feel reassuring, while criticism can quickly turn into self-doubt.

In this blog, I explore why people-pleasers often look outside themselves for validation, how comparison and feedback can shape self-worth, and how we can begin to reconnect with our own internal voice.

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Breaking the stigma: Therapy isn’t what you think it is

Therapy isn’t just for people in crisis. In this blog, Jo Dampier, an integrative psychotherapist, explores what therapy really is - a collaborative, human space for understanding yourself, making sense of your emotions, and learning new ways to live, relate, and grow.

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The Fear of Being Seen: When authenticity feels too exposing

We all want to feel seen, yet sometimes, that’s what scares us the most. Authenticity can feel exposing when you’ve spent years hiding parts of yourself to stay safe. But learning to show up as you are, even in small ways, is how self-trust begins to grow.

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