How I can help
Counselling for carers in Pontefract
In the words of someone caring for a loved one
I look after someone I love, and most of the time I just get on with it. But I am tired in a way that rest does not touch, and lately the patience does not come as easily as it used to.
There is guilt whichever way I turn. Guilt for snapping, guilt for resting, guilt for the resentment that creeps in and then horrifies me. I am grieving the person they used to be, even while they are still here. Friends drift, the days shrink down to appointments and tasks, and somewhere in all of it I have quietly disappeared.
I am good at asking how everyone else is doing. It has been a long time since anyone asked about me.
If this feels like you
Caring for someone is one of the most demanding things a person can do, and the toll it takes is real, not a weakness. Your wellbeing matters too, not only for their sake, but for your own. If any of this is familiar, it may help to know what counselling can offer.
How counselling can help
Counselling gives you something you rarely get: an hour that is entirely about you, where you do not have to be strong or capable or grateful.
Here you can say the things that feel unsayable, the exhaustion, the resentment, the grief, without being judged for any of it. Together we can make sense of the guilt, ease some of the pressure you put on yourself, and help you hold on to a sense of who you are beyond the caring.
Looking after yourself is not taking something away from the person you care for. It is part of being able to keep going.
I'm Alison, a BACP registered counsellor. I offer counselling in person in Pontefract and Wakefield, and online across the UK. We can start with a free, no pressure 20 minute call so you can decide if I'm the right counsellor for you. Sessions are 50 minutes, at a pace that suits you.
If this feels familiar and you'd like support, please get in touch. A short, no pressure call or a simple message is enough to start.