“Oh, not another festive Blog!”  I can hear the groans from my laptop keyboard even as I write....

Some years ago I worked in a large NHS department where we weren’t allowed to put up a Christmas tree for fear of offense to others.

Not much festivity there then.

But, as therapists, it is important to recognise and respect that while it may seem the whole world has gone “Christmas” mad, it hasn’t really.

The client in your therapy room may celebrate Eid, Hanukah, Chinese New Year, Diwali or any number of other festivals.

Or they may simply do Christmas without the trimmings.

And life doesn’t really stop for Christmas either.  People still receive difficult medical diagnoses; accidents still happen; babies are born; marriages dissolved; and people die.

But somehow the world does pause a little.

There always feels something special in the stillness of a Christmas morning to me.  Just for a few moments until everything starts rushing round again.

And when we work as a therapist, that space we offer clients also gives that space to pause and reflect.  That space to stop and think.  That space to breathe.

And that has to be the case for both therapist and client doesn’t it?

It doesn’t matter whether you are up to your eyes in Christmas on a personal level or not engaged with it at all.  As a therapist you need to be right where your client is and with what they are dealing with.

So the festivities may continue but please don’t forget to press the “Pause” button, both for yourself and your clients.

And whatever your season, I hope you will find that point of stillness even just for one moment  of your life.