This blog contains emotionally sensitive information, please take care. If you feel that you need to talk to someone more urgently than therapy, please find a list of useful organisations who offer support below. If you feel that you need immediate support, please contact The Samaritans or your GP or other forms of crisis support. […]

Linda Bower – Psychotherapist at The Retreat Clinics shares her tops tips with how to deal with grief. It is okay to feel sad and it’s okay to feel happy: Christmas is a hard time of year to grieve. Many people around us are laughing and swapping gifts and you might feel disconnected from it […]

At times we all have anxious or suspicious thoughts, about ourselves or about other’s intentions, behaviour or feelings towards us. To some degree this is an important and healthy aspect of being able to look after ourselves and our safety. For some people however, these thoughts can become exaggerated, fixed and distressing. Over time they […]

Discovering that your child is engaging in bullying behaviour can feel challenging and upsetting experience for any parent/carer. However, it’s crucial to approach this situation with empathy, understanding, and a commitment to fostering positive change. In this blog, we’ll explore ways in which parents/guardians can support and guide their children if they discover that their […]

Supporting Your Child Through Bullying: A Parent’s Guide Children can engage in bullying for various reasons, for example this behaviour may serve as their coping mechanism for dealing with difficult situations. Whilst this can sometime help a little in understanding the other child’s behaviour, it never justifies or make bullying acceptable. Dealing with bullying is […]

Group psychotherapy is a longer term therapy, particularly helpful for people with difficulties in their relationships, their self-confidence or in communicating with others. This may be in all areas of life or particularly in work, home life or with friends and family. Group therapy can be help if you: • Feel isolated and alone and […]

Top Tips for Managing Bonfire Night   For lots of families with children, Bonfire Night can bring anxiety and distress. Firework displays are noisy, unpredictable and, depending on where you live, can be relentless. This can be particularly tricky if you have a child who has a fear of fireworks, is neurodiverse, and/or has sensory […]

This is an update regarding changes in the referral pathway for Adult Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment Service at The Retreat Clinics in North Yorkshire and York. This is a commissioner led change, resulting from actions from the local NHS Integrated Care Board (formally known as the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups), to […]

Is your child struggling with the transition back to school? Nearly a month into the new school year, we have been hearing from many of you that some children and young people are starting to face challenges with returning to school, despite initially positive starts. Perhaps it’s a sudden reluctance to attend school, difficulty sleeping, […]

University College London, The Retreat Clinics and Tend VR are conducting a study exploring mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) delivered through virtual reality (VR). We are recruiting adults who have experienced recent anxiety or depressive symptoms to test this innovative approach over a 10-12-week period. If you would like to take part, we will be asking […]

September is childhood cancer awareness month and we are delighted to formally announce our collaboration with ‘The Joshua Tree’. The Joshua Tree (based in Cheshire) is a children’s cancer charity that is dedicated to working closely with families affected by childhood cancers. As a registered charity ourselves, The Retreat Clinics are pleased to be offering […]

How to support healthy mental health in children and teenagers When we think about being ‘healthy’, we jump straight to the thought of exercising, eating and sleeping well. However, making sure we have a healthy mental well-being is just as important. To celebrate Youth Mental Health day, we want to talk about different ways that […]

Online counselling and therapy are a modern approach to mental health support where  therapy and mental health services are provided remotely online.  The primary aim of online counselling is identical to traditional face-to-face therapy: to provide an outlet for individuals to explore their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours in a safe, confidential environment. The key difference […]

Group Therapy in York, Manchester & Online What is Group Therapy? Group psychotherapy is a longer-term therapy, beneficial for people with difficulties in their relationships, their self-confidence, or in communicating with others. It is beneficial for people with problems in their relationships, self-confidence, or communication with others; this may be in all areas of life, […]

Child psychologists, child therapists and counsellors play a crucial role in assessing, and helping children and young people with emotional health issues They are specifically trained to understand the unique challenges and experiences of children, employing various therapeutic techniques to promote healthier thought patterns and behaviours. Recognising and addressing mental health issues early on is […]

Anxiety is often more than just feeling stressed or worried. It is a common mental health disorder characterised by persistent and excessive worry, fear, or nervousness about different aspects of life. In the UK, anxiety difficulties are common, with a little over 1 in 10 of us experiencing an anxiety disorder (Mental Health UK). While […]

Today is International Self-Care Day! A day for people to reflect on whether you are giving yourself that extra bit of time and to consider ways that you can take care of yourself. When you think of ‘self-care’, what do you think of? Is it running yourself a bubble bath, having a pamper day or […]

Our Quaker led charity has provided mental health services for over 200 years. Our services are firmly based in our values of compassion, collaboration, and community building. We are passionate about helping people, giving hope, and building resilience. We’re aware that for many people it’s difficult to find the resources to fund therapy, especially now, […]

The loss of a child profoundly impacts the lives of parents and their loved ones.  When someone you care about has lost a child, it can be hard to know how best to support them. Each person’s grief experience is unique, and finding the right words can be hard.  Often, we worry about saying the […]

In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy and fulfilling relationship can be a challenge. The ups and downs of life, communication gaps, unresolved conflicts, and emotional distance can strain even the strongest bonds. However, there is a powerful solution available: couple therapy. In this blog, we explore the problems couple therapy addresses, the benefits it […]

Hot flushes and night sweats are two of the most common physical symptom of the menopause. Duvet on, duvet off, duvet on, duvet off is a common night-time experience for many. There may be times when you dress warmly to face the cold outside, then find your internal heating system goes into overdrive and you […]

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be misunderstood, it’s not always about been extremely clean or organized, there’s so much more to the disorder. Standing at the top of the stairs with tears streaming down my face and just wanting the cycle to stop, my body and mind were exhausted. When eventually in bed, my palms would […]

Separation anxiety is a form of anxiety difficulties that occurs when a child is separated from their parents or those close to them, resulting in feelings of distress and panic. It can be helpful for parents to be aware of the signs of separation anxiety in childhood, know how to recognise the symptoms, and learn […]

Around 20% of women will encounter a mental health issue of some kind either during pregnancy or following childbirth. Although ‘postnatal depression’ is a widely recognised phenomenon, anxiety in the postnatal period is also very common. Experience of pregnancy loss, a traumatic experience of giving birth, or a baby with health problems can increase the […]