So how do we re-establish the ability to trust when it has been lost and damaged repeatedly over a long period of time, from as far back as infancy, for example? If having a sense of danger and lack all the time is all a person has ever known, if they have never experienced a sense of safety and ease, how do they rebuild that inability from the inside out?

…being able to trust is not something that stays constant and strong throughout your life. It is something that needs to be reflected on, reassessed, developed and maintained.

It is an interesting time to be a Counsellor. My goal with clients is to find the balance between empathy and accountability, to help remove the stigma of mental illness, and to provide a space where you can come to a realisation about patterns of behaviour, emotions and thought processes (your own or someone else’s) that may be harmful to the self or others. I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to agency and self-determination, and that freedom comes with responsibility. There is a time and a place for outrage and disgust, and there is a time and place for empathy too. All can occur simultaneously and most importantly, safely.