Counselling is a talking therapy that helps you to talk about your thoughts and your feelings, and how they affect your mood and day to day life.

Caring for or supporting a person living with dementia can be a complex experience that often has an impact on the life of the carer.  

Each story is different. However there are often shared experiences: fatigue, the need to adapt one’s life to make space for caring, feeling a variety of emotions that are often intense and contrasting. One day everything might seem manageable, the following day might feel incredibly difficult.

Watching the abilities of the person living with dementia change (communication, undertaking daily activities etc.), can be a confusing and hard experience. You might feel that it is up to you to “do something different”, but you might not know how to respond. This can be emotionally taxing, leaving the carer with strong feelings of isolation, abandonment, sadness, frustration and resentment.

Counselling can offer a confidential space that is welcoming and non-judgemental, in which you can start voicing what you are going through and feeling.

You can talk openly about how you feel about the person you are supporting, and how the experience is changing your life. Naming what is going on for you can bring relief and help you feel less isolated.

An experience tailored to what you need

Each counselling journey is tailored to the person who is undertaking it.

We will work together to explore what is going on for you and what your priorities might be. How we work together, what we focus on and for how long, will be adapted to your individual needs and preferences.

We can focus on how your experience of caring has affected your life, making space for your emotions about yourself and the person you are supporting and working out strategies to take care of yourself.

Or we can decide to give attention to the relationship with your loved one, how it is changing and find new ways of communicating that can help decrease stress levels for both and increase quality of life. Often the work will be a blend of both.

I have many years of experience in supporting family members and friends of people with dementia and I have seen the impact of person-centred work in equipping people with a richer toolset – both emotional and practical – to better navigate these complex experiences.

How it works

We will have an initial session in which we can get to know each other and decide what we want to focus on and for how long.

I have put together session packages of 3, 6 or 10 sessions as having a clear idea of the journey often helps people feel more comfortable.

Sessions last 50 minutes and it will be a confidential conversation between yourself and the counsellor. I offer in-person or Zoom sessions (or a blend of these).

What next

If you would like to have more information, if you have questions or would like to book an initial session you can contact me by phone 07877 782989 (calls or Whatsapp) or email info@martamelitherapy.com. I will respond within 48 hours.