Gloria’s story

“My husband leaving was the worst shock of my life and was devastating for my family which completely fell apart around me. I had been recommended Claire by the lawyer I had contacted as someone who could help me try and make sense of the awful situation I found myself in.

To be honest I didn’t even know what to think - I just needed someone to talk to who wasn’t family and who I could tell my story to. I had completely lost sight of who I was and I was drowning in misery and pain. I needed some simple tools at the outset to help me just get through each minute.

I was feeling utterly dreadful - in a miasma of misery and pain. I had lost a lot of weight was not sleeping and had very dark thoughts as I could not see a future. My children were in great pain too and I could not help them and one of them cut me off for almost a year just trying to get through it, and her heavy workload of exams

Claire’s gentle, focused approach (bringing my ramblings back to a practical life-saving applications - honestly they were life-saving at times) helped to give me tools to use to combat my whirring brain and looking on the dark side. A year on I have felt supported on my journey and whilst things are much better I like to know she is there just in case I need her and her sage perspective.

When we talked about listening to myself, and learning to let things come to me, things shifted for the first time. I created a screen saver reminder, and I felt an easing of my pain and a little light came into my brain. I think the gaps in between the sessions are as important as the sessions themselves as thoughts distil down and begin to make sense.

My biggest achievement has been walking Ullapool to Cape Wrath - that was the best thing I could have done. It was challenging- the hardest walk in the UK and it was with a small group (one close friend came too - the rest were new acquaintances). Achieving this goal a year to the day I found out that my husband had had an affair was cathartic and marked a paradym shift in my outlook and ability to cope. Don’t get me wrong I still cry and get down and I have no idea what the future holds for me but that’s ok. Its exciting and thrilling (a sense of fear I have found is good) and I am trying to push myself to face the fear and embrace it in choosing the things I want to do.

I really like Claire’s approach which is a lovely mixture of empathy, practical exercises and suggestions whilst giving me the opportunity to rant and cry and laugh and discuss the wide ranging affect this had had on my life - nothing is out of bounds and our mutual love of dogs has helped too. I hope we stay in touch long after I have got my act together.

I would recommend Claire to others without a doubt. You have to find someone you can relate to and in Claire I found someone who is constructive and kind and kept moving me on (at varying speeds when I wasn’t up to much) and didn’t let me dwell in the dark. I still have work to do – homework is not a strong point, but I know what I have to do and that is BIG step.”