I don’t do this work out of pity. I do it because I understand.

For decades, I have worked with people experiencing emotional pain, difficult relationships, trauma and periods in their lives when they have felt unseen, unheard or misunderstood.

Over those years, I have learned something that has stayed with me:

People don’t always need someone to feel sorry for them. They need someone who genuinely understands what they are experiencing.

That understanding comes from listening carefully, recognising patterns and having the professional knowledge to understand what may be happening beneath the surface.

I have always made room for people

Throughout my life, I have deliberately included people who might otherwise find themselves on the outside of social circles.

Single people.

People going through divorce.

People who have lost a partner.

People recovering from difficult relationships.

People who are struggling quietly while everyone around them assumes they are fine.

I have never done that because I felt sorry for them.

And I have never done it because I expected something in return.

I did it because I understand how painful it can be not to be seen, not to be heard and not to feel that you belong.

Sometimes inclusion is incredibly simple.

Invite someone.

Listen to them.

Remember them.

Ask how they are.

Make space for them.

Don’t make them feel like an extra person who has been added because you feel sorry for them.

Treat them as a person whose company you genuinely value.

My understanding comes from both experience and professional knowledge