For this year’s world day for Safety and Health at Work, The Retreat clinics are focusing on one of the biggest concerns for safety and health at work We all have to deal with stress, whether daily issues or a significant event that causes undue pressure. When consistently dealing with stress on a daily basis […]

How stress impacts our body, and 9 strategies to reduce stress. Stress is an unavoidable part of our everyday lives. While some amount of stress can be helpful, excessive and long-term exposure can damage our physical and mental health. In this blog post, we will explore the various ways stress impacts our body and some […]

“I view neurodiversity as being part of the variety of what it means to be human. I specifically use the word variety because I don’t think “difference” feels quite right, it could be interpreted as having a negative connotation. Whereas, I have always viewed variety as being a positive and good thing. Variety means lots […]

By Ronnie Pinder, Coach & Peer Mentor at The Retreat Clinics  There is a strategy that can help many autistic people and that is always planning your escape routes in advance and therefore making you feel in more control of a situation that may otherwise cause anxiety. Escape routes can be literal but they don’t […]

Diagnostic Assessments: We are now accepting private referrals for formal autism diagnostic assessments for children and young people. We appreciate waiting lists can be long and how difficult it can be to wait for diagnostic assessments. Our experienced team can help – we follow NICE guidelines to provide our assessment service and offer a multidisciplinary […]

Today marks the first day of Spring! This means warmer weather, more daylight and flourishing plants. Many individuals may feel low from the winter with a lack of vitamin D from the sun and the winter blues. Spring cleaning is on the cards this month for many, it dates back to the ancient Jewish custom […]

Sunday 19th March, we express our gratitude and love for our mother and motherly figures today. We normally find ourselves buying flowers or self-care gifts to suggest today is a day for relaxation. The love of a mother for their child is unconditional, we are nurtured by our mothers as an expression of this unconditional […]

The natural way for young children to communicate about their thoughts and feelings is through play. Children’s brains are different to the those of an adult. As adults our cortex is more fully developed. For young children their cortex is still developing, and they don’t have the same capacity to find words for feelings. The […]

Over the last couple of years, the decline in student mental health has increased. There is a revolving door of research surrounding student mental health however this does not seem to slow down the rise in the decline in student mental health. Burnout amongst students is on the rise as we are currently facing a […]

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are significant positive factors in a healthy workplace culture,  they are embedded within many companies’ values. We all want to feel a sense of belonging amongst our co-workers and to feel safe at work whilst being our authentic selves. The LGBT+ community has worked tirelessly throughout the last century to […]

To be a lesbian is to be marked out as different. From as young as five years old, I knew that I liked girls. I liked their company, I liked kissing them, I felt happy and connected in their spaces. But I also grew up in a rural area, so although I felt a great […]

February marks LGBT+ history month, and whilst this is a celebratory month that delves into the historical advancement of the LGBT+ community, a sizeable amount of the community’s history is the discrimination members have faced. Research suggests children and young people who identify as LGBT+ have a higher risk of developing a mental health condition. […]

A workshop for young people to manage exam stress – 20th April 2023 4:00pm Managing the pressure of exams can be hard, and understandably can leave to feelings of anxiety and worry. Join one of our experienced therapists in this free one-hour workshop to learn about anxiety. The content will discuss ways to improve anxious thoughts, […]

Staying connected with your teen can look very different to connecting with a younger child – they have more independence and autonomy and are often experimenting with their sense of self. As you may be aware, the connection we have with our teenage children can be just as important as the connections we have when […]

We invite you to visit our newly refurbished therapy clinic to meet with staff and to hear about the specialist psychological therapies we offer. The Retreat Clinics in Manchester offers psychological interventions for adults, families and young people. As part of our open day, we will also be holding a free 45 minute ‘managing stress […]

  This year Blue Monday falls on 16th January. While the origin of this day comes from a travel agency’s PR stunt, it is true there is an increased number of individuals feeling low during January which has led to the phrase The January Blues. The most common causes for this period of low mood […]

While many of us are getting ready to celebrate the festive season, most university students are currently travelling home. For some of the students this will be the first time celebrating the festive period whilst studying. Many students have been working tirelessly up until this week to meet their deadlines and revise for their exams. […]

Christmas isn’t like it looks on TV!  Every advert shows a perfect family, a happy holiday and a wonderful time with friends and loved ones. With all the ‘perfect’ images, feeling lonely can be particularly difficult at Christmas.  We might be missing someone through bereavement, estrangement, divorce, or simply the high cost of the transport […]

Life is complicated and can be stressful sometimes. Work, families, finances, health – all sorts of things can affect our wellbeing. We all have to deal with big and small stresses, and sometimes it can be difficult to know how to juggle a busy life and feel OK Join two of our experienced adult therapists […]

The beautiful poem ‘Allow’ by Danna Faulds describes so eloquently the process of grief. ‘There is no controlling life. Try corralling a lightning bolt, Containing a tornado. Dam a Stream and it will create a new channel. Resist, and the tide will sweep you off your feet. Allow, and grace will carry You to higher […]

The witnessing of grief and why seeking counselling may help. Grief is universal. Grief is messy. At some point in our lives we are all affected by the death and loss of a loved one. For some it may be sudden and unexpected, or for others we have some time to ‘prepare’ and try to […]

NEW DATES ADDED The number of children and young people experiencing anxiety in the UK has increased over the last couple of years. It is a common emotional difficulty that can impact all areas of life, including homelife and school. Parenting a child who feels high levels of anxiety or is ‘worrier’ can be hard […]

What is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity refers to the different ways the brain interprets information. We are hopeful that more and more people will begin to welcome neurodiverse differences and strengths, rather than the stories that we sometimes hear about individuals being targeted for their differences through bullying behaviour.   Challenging the neurodiversity stigma Instead of isolating […]

We understand that it is never pleasant to think about your child or young person being involved in bullying, whether it be as the bully, victim or witness, but it is such an important topic to address. What can I do? The first thing to do is to talk to your child or young person. […]