Before We Learned to Be Sensible: The Power of Creative Therapy
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

Before We Learned to Be Sensible: The Power of Creative Therapy

There’s something quietly powerful about watching a child make something.

They don’t usually start by asking whether it’s good enough. They don’t hold a crayon in mid-air and wonder whether their work will be ‘taken seriously’. They just begin. A line becomes a river. A cardboard box becomes a house, a spaceship, a shop, a dragon cave or whatever the moment requires. A song appears from nowhere. A poem isn’t yet a poem, it’s just a feeling that has found a rhythm.

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When Change Kicks the Door Open: What Sudden Endings Teach Us About Adaptation
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

When Change Kicks the Door Open: What Sudden Endings Teach Us About Adaptation

Change is one of those words that sounds quite neat until it happens to you.

In theory, change can sound fresh, energising and full of possibility. We talk about growth, new chapters, opportunity and transformation. Lovely words. Very shiny. Very brochure-friendly.

In real life, change often arrives holding a cardboard box, a half-charged phone and a look on its face that says, ‘Right, we’re doing this now.’

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Things People Say Before They Apply for Counselling Training
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

Things People Say Before They Apply for Counselling Training

There are certain phrases we hear again and again.

Not because people lack confidence or clarity, but because something in them is quietly shifting….and they’re trying to make sense of it.

If you’ve found yourself thinking any of these, you’re in good company.

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Thinking About Counselling? Here’s Where Most People Start
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

Thinking About Counselling? Here’s Where Most People Start

We often speak to people who are thinking about counselling, but not quite sure what that means yet.

There’s usually something behind it.

Sometimes it’s their own experience of therapy.
Sometimes it’s that people naturally open up to them.
Sometimes it’s just a quiet sense of “I think I might be good at this….but I don’t really know where to begin.”

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What Happens During an Advanced Certificate in Counselling (Level 3 Equivalent)?
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

What Happens During an Advanced Certificate in Counselling (Level 3 Equivalent)?

If you’re thinking about counselling training, there’s often a quiet moment before you start where you wonder:

Am I overthinking this….or is this actually something I could do?

Level 3 tends to sit right in the middle of that question.

It’s not the very beginning, but it’s not full clinical training either. It’s more like stepping through the door and getting a proper feel for what counselling really is… beyond the idea of it.

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What Happens During a Level 4 Counselling Diploma?
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

What Happens During a Level 4 Counselling Diploma?

If you are considering progressing to a two year Level 4 counselling diploma, you are probably already familiar with counselling skills training. Many students reach this stage after completing a Level 3 course, where they have developed the foundations of listening skills, self awareness and understanding the counselling relationship.

Level 4 is the point where training becomes more professional and practice focused. It is the stage where you move from learning counselling skills to preparing to work as a practising counsellor.

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Why Train as a Counsellor?
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

Why Train as a Counsellor?

More and more people are feeling drawn towards counselling training. Sometimes it begins with a quiet curiosity. Sometimes it follows a life experience that has changed how you see people and the world. And sometimes it comes from a deeper sense that helping others think, feel and grow is meaningful work.

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Beyond The Buzzwords: Unmasking the true power of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Kaz Hazelwood Kaz Hazelwood

Beyond The Buzzwords: Unmasking the true power of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

If you've ever encountered the world of mental health, you've likely stumbled upon this sentiment. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has become a household term, often cast as a one-size-fits-all sticking plaster for emotional wounds. But let's get one thing straight: true CBT is far from a cookie-cutter solution. It's a nuanced, dynamic dance between client and therapist, a journey of introspection and empowerment fuelled by trust and understanding.

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The Art of Empathy
Empathy, Counselling, Listening, Counselling Clients Kaz Hazelwood Empathy, Counselling, Listening, Counselling Clients Kaz Hazelwood

The Art of Empathy

Empathy is often described as ‘Walking in someone else’s shoes’… a metaphor, that whilst well-intentioned, falls short. Walking implies a distance, a temporary occupation of another’s life. Buttrue empathy is not a borrowed experience, but a shared space and a bridge built with unwaveringattention and genuine presence. It is not about standing in another’s shoes, but beside them. It isnot about understanding someone’s pain but acknowledging that we hear that pain and are doingour best to understand it.

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