Boarding School Recovery

It can feel tough to deal with when too much is happening in life. Most people who start Boarding School Recovery Therapy feel lost in life on some level, unsure of how to find their way. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you feel like you want to escape your life or you know you’d be happier if you made changes but it feels safer and more comfortable to stay the same.

Stuck in negativity and feeling angry or ashamed, you may feel like life is spent constantly feeling “on edge”.

Do any of the following resonate with you?

• Intimate relationships feel threatening or leave you feeling uneasy or disconnected
• You have children who are now the same as age you were when you went away to school
• You find parenting your children a real challenge, unable to know where to start
• You feel like you are putting one foot in front of the other each day but are just surviving and not thriving
• Maybe you are highly successful but feel unhappy or lost all the time or perhaps you feel like something is missing in life

If any or all of these sound true for you, I want you to know that even though you might feel like a failure for needing help, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It takes courage to become aware about what you are going through and ask for help. Self-care is not an indulgence or a selfish act. In fact, it is especially important to take care of yourself when you have the responsibility of caring for others.  

• Shed the fear of being left, abandoned or rejected
• Feel less angry or irritable
• Get rid of the feeling of needing to please others all the time, keeping your needs and desires hidden
• Discover how to relax and feel less anxious
• Address unhelpful ways of coping like drinking,  working too much or being constantly busy

Boarding School Recovery Therapy helps you rise above your challenges and start moving towards your ideal life with less  confusion and more confidence. 

You will gain the fresh perspective you need to change your behaviours and beliefs.   Gradually feeling safer in your relationships. 

You may be fearful or disloyal about talking about your childhood, you might even feel ashamed of having emotions in the first place.   Therapy can help you to overcome these blocks to speaking up, even if it’s just to yourself, which is the first step towards healing.  

I’ve helped ex-boarders, their partners and families find a way to begin to connect with their emotions, recognise where patterns of behaviour have come from, and discover who they are now. Supporting them to develop healthier relationships with themselves and the people around them.

I’m Sarah and  I’m a counsellor who boarded from the age of 11.  Boarding runs in my family, with my Dad and Brother going away to school too.  Through my own therapy, I have been able to acknowledge the impact that my own experience of boarding has had on my life and find my own path to belonging.       

A combination of my own experience and clients who have boarded has inspired me to further my training in this area.  I have trained alongside Nick Duffell and continue to learn from him on a regular basis.    

I invite you to arrange an introductory call (either by phone or by zoom).  This call will last about 20 minutes and will give us the chance to get to know each other.  You can ask any questions you might have and I can explain a little about how I work.    This will help you decide whether therapy feels right for you and whether or not you feel comfortable with me.