Today, Wendy is joined by Dr Sonia Ahmed a counselling psychologist and EMDR therapist who specialises in trauma and South Asian mental health needs. Currently, her focus is on domestic abuse and honour-based abuse such as forced marriages. She also provides online South Asian mental health training for other mental health professionals.

Sonia explains how being sandwiched between two cultures creates personal dilemmas. As does running the risk of shaming your family and/or being ostracised if you do not live in a certain way e.g. agree to an arranged marriage or continue to live with an abusive spouse.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Many South Asians struggle to get the balance right between doing what is right for them and the need to do what´s right for their family.
• Not shaming your family or community is important in South Asian cultures which can leave some people reluctantly continuing with or entering into a bad marriage.
• Sometimes doing what is right for them means being ostracised from their family and community. Which also strains that person´s mental health.
• Men also get forced into marriages.
• Domestic abuse is a universal issue.
• If you are experiencing domestic abuse you can seek counselling even if you are not planning to leave.

BEST MOMENTS

“Ultimately, if you decide to go on your own, there´s a big risk of being isolated from your family.”

“Just because the family is not with them doesn't mean there isn't other support out there.”

“If you are in a forced marriage, I´m here to support you through that.”

GUEST RESOURCES

info@serepsychology.com and info@southasiantrauma.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.soniaahmed

https://serenepsychology.com

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Christine Dunkley who is a consultant trainer of DBT, international author and emotional regulation specialist. She explains how DBT enables you to regulate your emotions. So, you can decrease or increase them when you need to. It is not about ignoring that emotion and its message, its about keeping your reaction in line with the seriousness of the situation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• DBT is a talking therapy that is related to CBT, which is available on the NHS.
• The woman who created DBT had herself recovered from serious mental health issues.
• We need to provide people with the right response at the right moment.
• DBT gives you the tools to regulate your emotions, without switching them off or ignoring the message it is sending you.
• Each emotion produces signature features in the body e.g. tension which you can influence and use to turn the emotion down.
• DBT is delivered by a team of therapists.
• DBT is great for distress tolerance.
• No matter how badly you are suffering, there is always a way out - a path back to true joy.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Regulation is matching the amount of emotion you´ve got to the situation you´re in.’

‘We almost never decrease the emotion to zero because your emotions are so important.’

“You have to change your physiology to actually work on your emotions.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Regulating-Emotion-DBT-Way-Therapists-ebook/dp/B08F6B9JD6

https://www.dbt-training.co.uk

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Karen Patterson a very experienced trainer and expert in mental health services. She has trained hundreds of people from a wide range of health settings.

Wendy and Karen discuss how connecting, being active, taking notice, learning, and giving protects your mental health and helps those who already have issues to fully recovery.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Many people who have mental health difficulties do not know that a full recovery is possible.
• People now live with more stress. Some cope OK, others are more vulnerable and become ill.
• Connect and communicate. Find people you trust.
• Peer support works. Patients who speak to someone who has recovered become more open to the help they are offered.
• Learning, exercise and being creative all help.
• Something as simple as colouring in makes you present and gives your mind a break.
• Giving is powerful, even something like putting an elderly neighbour’s bins out.
• Before people can fully recover, they need to feel secure, to have their basic needs met.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The recovery model is about a journey, there will be setbacks, but there is a journey, and we can get there. ´

‘Learning helps with everything…. it opens your mind.’

‘Anything that gets us doing is good for us.’

“You've got to move people to independence, but with support.”

GUEST RESOURCES

Karen has over 35 years of experience and has worked in a variety of settings within the health and social care sector. Karen has worked in various mental health settings, with people with learning disabilities and autism and those living with dementia. Karen is passionate about individuals getting excellent service and feels that interactive training that relates to the workplace plays a vital role in this.

Karen set up KP Social Care Training in 2009 to provide training services across the health and social care sector and has built up a good reputation for providing excellent training in various topics including safeguarding, mental health, mental capacity, learning disabilities and autism as well as other topics that relate to care such as risk assessing, support planning, professional boundaries, please ask for our full list of training topics.

Please contact us at kptraining23@yahoo.co.uk

Or call me directly on 07903 935969

www.kptraining.info

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Karen Gilbert a perfumery teacher who is an expert in using scents for well-being. Karen explains how to use scents to shift your mood. This simple and powerful method can be immediately accessed and used by anyone.

Wendy also talks about the science behind how scent affects our brains and how to tap into that to improve your mental and emotional health.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Our sense of smell is a powerful tool for personal well-being.
• Perfumes are no longer seen as a way to cover body odour or to attract a mate.
• You can use scent to reprogram your brain and shift your state.
• The right scent can invoke a really powerful feel-good factor.
• When it comes to well-being our sense of smell is a bit of a hidden superpower
• Which scents do what for you is very individual.
• Our sense of smell starts to develop in the womb.
• Some smells have negative associations.
• Start to use your sense of smell more consciously to heighten the power of scent therapy and as a mindfulness exercise.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You can weave mini scent rituals into their day-to-day routine. ´

‘According to your mood, you can actually create a memory of a smell.’

‘Program your brain with a scent that you enjoy.’

GUEST AND EPISODE RESOURCES

The Scent Shift - https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/the-scent-shift

Karen Gilbert´s books - https://www.karengilbert.co.uk.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy walks you through a safe place meditation exercise. The technique she shares can be done either lying down or in a seated position. You will learn how to use your breath to calm and relax your body so that your mind can open up and picture a safe place that you will enjoy.

Wendy explains how to engage and use all of your senses to intensify the experience of being in that safe place. As well as how to, over time, add more features you can enjoy and do so whenever you want to.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you feel afraid at any time you can simply open your eyes to reground yourself.
• Focus your attention on any areas of your body that feel tense to relax that area.
• Let your brain choose the safe place you imagine.
• Use all of your senses to build up a strong image of your safe place and use them to enjoy being there in every way possible.
• Over time you will become a part of your safe place and be able to access it at any time you want to.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Allow yourself to be in a comfortable position, either lying down or sitting up. ´

‘Each time you come to your safe place. You may develop it and allow it to become more and more beautiful.’

‘Feel the warm rays of the sun on your skin.’

‘Your safe space is available to you whenever you need to go and enjoy it.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

Today, Wendy is joined by Anna Pluck, an experienced counsellor who specialises in anxiety, which she had to overcome herself. Anna used that experience to develop strategies anyone can use, 5 of which she shares in this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Anxiety can be overcome.
• Take a break from bad news and negativity.
• Mindfulness and box breathing are far easier than you think.
• Get out in nature.
• Gradually reintroduce the things that make you feel anxious.
• Anxiety does not climb constantly; it peaks and then dissipates.
• Be gentle with yourself.
• The Socratic questions shared in the episode are a powerful way to tackle anxiety.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You can be almost frozen with anxiety. ´

‘Slowly push forwards.’

‘I love that inner Gertrude.’

GUEST RESOURCES

Anna is a counsellor specialising in anxiety. Anna believes that anxiety, while common, is highly individual. Each person's experience with anxiety is shaped by their personal history, environment, and coping mechanisms. Anna's counselling philosophy is rooted in this understanding, ensuring that her approach is tailored to meet the specific needs of each client. Anna helps clients build self-awareness and confidence so that they can reach their goals and overcome anxiety.

She works with adults over the age of 17 and offers therapy in Chester, Birkenhead and online.

Website - annapluck.com

Socratic questions for anxiety - https://mailchi.mp/5ff48a70de4c/anxiety-tips-free-download

https://annapluck.com/free-resources-to-help-anxiety-and-calm/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Taiba Bajar an author and autism expert whose son experienced autism regression at 20 months. He stopped making eye contact, walking, and rarely ate. When Taiba realised he was not going to get enough support from the NHS and education system, she studied autism. What she found out enabled her to create a 7-step process that healed her son from the inside and unlocked his potential. Today, she is a certified brain health trainer helping other parents heal their autistic children.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 90% of a child´s brain is developed by age five, so early intervention is essential.
• Taiba found that, in the UK, despite presenting early, her son did not get enough support.
• Fixing any vitamins and other low biomarkers makes a huge difference.
• Reducing exposure to toxins is important.
• Food is the best medicine; it cleanses the body and provides it with anything it lacks.
• Certain supplements and exercises boost brain health.
• Autistic children can be taught emotional literacy enabling them to take care of their mental health and grow up to enjoy a rich family and social life.

BEST MOMENTS

‘With autism, there´s a lot of biological causes.’

‘Grasp the gut-brain bond.’

‘We also do a lot of emotional literacy roleplay with him.’

GUEST AND EPISODE RESOURCES

Unlock Autism - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlock-Autism-7-Step-Action-Potential/dp/1068620102

https://autismbrainempowerment.com

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles

In this episode, Wendy talks about Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), which was started by Professor Paul Gilbert OBE. He identified the three levels of emotional systems that play a role in how we feel and, therefore, act. All three of these can be dialled up and down to help us remain emotionally balanced.

Today, Wendy introduces the concept, explains how it works and tells us what each of the Threes Circles of Compassion is and how they impact the way we feel and behave. In later episodes, she will explain how you can use the CFT approach to understand each emotional driver and use that knowledge to feel much better.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Self-compassion is taking care of ourselves, especially when we are suffering.
• We need to be kind and gentle with ourselves.
• Self-compassion enables us to find the courage to deal with and face things rather than back away, which happens when we feel under threat.
• Paul Gilbert´s system defines 3 levels of emotional regulation – the Three Circles of Compassion which are coloured red, blue and green.
• In some people the compassionate, self-soothing system is underdeveloped. But it can be made stronger.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Self-compassion can help us with recovery and building self-resilience. ´

‘We may not realize it, but many of us spend the majority of our time in the red system, the threat system.’

‘We are biologically designed to be nurturing.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilbert_(psychologist)

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles