When the universe takes over
I have always dreamed of a counselling room in a wide open space in the middle of nowhere, of counselling outside in a wood or by water or surrounded by wild flowers. This went hand in hand with a longing for land and of living a sustainable self reliant life. In 2019 we found our land and began to plant trees and food, an orchard and to keep bees. Each weekend has been spent at The Orchard while we continued to live in Blackburn and I to work from my counselling room there
On March 23rd 2020 I was unaware that my 1.30 pm counselling session was the last ever session I would carry out from my practice room in Blackburn. By 7 pm we were in lock-down and face to face counselling sessions were off the agenda for the next three weeks. My work went to phone and video calls which was fine for some, but others chose to wait until lock-down was over. My work in school was stopped in its tracks. Three weeks on and it became clear that things were not going back to normal for a good long while. We weren’t allowed to travel except for essential work (thankfully food production was on the list) and one to one counselling sessions remained off the agenda.
Very soon it began to emerge that some of my most vulnerable or distressed clients who were emotionally unable to move to phone or video call were losing ground in the isolation of lock-down and the isolation of their grief and distress. My gut said to offer the safe space of our 5 acres for socially distanced outside sessions. I knew we could never bump into anyone as we are fenced and gated and that an hour outside, cradled in nature as they spoke of their anguish could avert a mental health crisis.
Even then I hesitated to make the offer as the rules seemed confusing, imprisoning some of the most ‘at risk’ members of society. I explored it with my clinical supervisor, discussed it with peers and colleagues, and in the end common sense and compassion won out. For several weeks I continued most of my work by phone and online, but for those few I made myself and the land available. The results have been significant on so many levels. The land and nature did it’s work in its own soothing healing way, I was supported by it as I sat alongside individuals as they journeyed. Each and every client spoke of feeling relief at not having been forgotten and that they had found being outside to feel safe and right and that they wanted to continue this even after lock-down.
During lock-down we had been blessed with weeks of sun and sitting in the shade of the old oaks or the cool of the woods to work had been a delight. However we live in Lancashire and so we knew that it was only a matter of time before it rained or grew windy or both and that outside work could be miserable and uncomfortable not least for my two faithful therapy dogs. And so the work began in earnest to create a counselling room in the barn, making use of the very wide doors and the big space to create a counselling room where it was easy to keep to the social distancing rules. Over the weeks we insulated, painted, carpeted and finally brought my furniture and books across.
The room is beautiful and works so well looking out over the oak garden, but what a strange feeling to stand in my now empty counselling room in Blackburn. Without having had a countdown or transition process I feel like I have been catapulted into this new space, but there is no feeling of loss, just fondness for the thousands of hours spent here with clients. I reflect on how fortunate I feel as like most private therapists my practice room was in my home which will be a no go for counsellors for a good long time yet.
The Orchard has meant that I have been able to continue my work, indeed my work has grown. My clients have not lost their face to face sessions but gained so many possibilities of different spaces, inside and out, and the security of this peaceful haven.
As I final word, Bramble and Laurel are too loving the outside space with all its smells and sounds and between sessions runs that has given our work together a new dimension and deeper connection. It doesn’t get any better than this.
