A Kinder January for Counsellors with Eve Menezes Cunningham

January can bring a lot of pressure for counsellors and therapists, with worries about enquiries, a sense of falling behind, and rising self-criticism. This can feel even more intense for neurodivergent counsellors and those who are highly sensitive to pressure.In this episode of Good Enough Counsellors, I’m joined by Eve Menezes Cunningham to explore a kinder way of moving through January, especially for counsellors in private practice.Eve draws on therapy, yoga therapy, coaching and writing to offer a deeply compassionate, embodied approach to wellbeing. We talk about self-compassion, nervous system care, and how understanding ourselves, including neurodivergence and survival responses, can reduce shame and self-criticism.Eve shares her accessible, cat-based way of explaining polyvagal theory (purr, hiss, hide), helping counsellors notice what state they’re in and respond with kindness rather than judgement.We also explore why boundaries can feel so uncomfortable to set, particularly for people who learned early on to please others in order to feel safe, and why holding yourself with compassion after setting a boundary is just as important as the boundary itself.We finish with Eve’s gentle invitation for January: to treat yourself as you would a beloved, precious creature, with curiosity, patience and care, rather than seeing yourself as a problem to fix.In This EpisodeWhy January often feels hard for counsellors and therapistsPressure, anxiety and self-criticism in private practiceSelf-compassion and being kinder to yourselfNeurodivergence and nervous system awarenessPolyvagal theory explained through cats (purr, hiss, hide)Why boundaries feel difficult and how to support yourselfA gentle, realistic approach to January without pressureEve Menezes Cunningham is a therapist, supervisor, podcast host and former Editor-in-Chief of the Irish Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy. She has a monthly column in Platinum and her book 365 Ways to Feel Better is widely available. You can find Eve and her resources at https://selfcarecoaching.net.Setting up in private practice? Download my free checklist HERENeed ideas for how to get clients? Download my free handout 21 Ways for Counsellors to Attract New Clients HEREYou can also find me here:The Good Enough Counsellors Facebook GroupJosephine Hughes on FacebookJosephine Hughes on YouTubeMy website: josephinehughes.comThe information contained in Good Enough Counsellors is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this podcast are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this podcast. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this podcast.Josephine Hughes disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this podcast.