In Transactional Analysis (TA), one of the most powerful concepts we work with is the idea of the Life Script—a kind of unconscious story we start writing in childhood, shaped by early messages, experiences, and emotional survival strategies. It’s not a story we consciously choose—but we do end up living it. Some people write bold, […]

Starting my own therapy practice in the UK was both exciting and daunting. I was finally stepping into the autonomy I’d dreamed of, but I quickly realised that being a skilled therapist doesn’t automatically make you a skilled business owner. Here are the top three mistakes I made when setting up—and what I wish I’d […]

Is this you? Are you coming towards the end of your training course, feeling enthusiastic and excited, but you’re not sure how to get started? New to private practice and feel overwhelmed at all the steps needed to set up and market your services. Perhaps you're yearning to leave your current job but worried about […]

What do we sacrifice to be accepted? In my latest article, Lost in Translation: The Right To Be Fully Seen, I explore the quiet, daily negotiations people make to navigate spaces that don’t always welcome difference. From LGBTQ+ individuals editing their language to stay safe at work, to families anglicising surnames to avoid prejudice, these […]

In private practice, one of the issues I see time and again is people-pleasing. Clients who bend over backwards to keep others happy, often without even noticing they’re doing it. And more often than not, it's driven by something Transactional Analysis (TA) calls the Please Others Driver. It's a powerful internal script, and for many […]

When I started out as a therapist, no one mentioned a business plan. In fact, tutors and peers warned me: if you’re in this work to make money, you’re in the wrong profession. The message was loud and clear: therapy is a calling, not a business. And while that’s true—therapy is about healing, connection, and […]

There’s a quiet sort of heartbreak that comes with discovering you have ADHD later in life. Not the shock of a sudden illness, not the finality of a break up, but something slower, more complex — a lifetime seen through new eyes and perspective turned upside down. Because when the diagnosis finally lands — after […]

Invasive medical procedures are often necessary—and at times life-saving. But for some, they can stir something deeper: a sense of fear, helplessness, or emotional shutdown that seems to come out of nowhere. For people who’ve experienced a difficult or traumatic natural birth, medical settings can unconsciously trigger old survival responses. It’s not “just nerves”—it’s the […]

Assimilation & ADHD: Why We Learn to Mask, and How to Self-Advocate From childhood, many neurodivergent individuals learn to blend in—to mask their traits in order to feel safe, accepted, or "normal." But what does that cost us? And how can we begin to unmask, honour our needs, and self-advocate with confidence? I unpack this […]

If you’re a professional with ADHD, you probably know the feeling - you triple-check something in your head, hit send, and then realize you just informed everyone that your office will be closed for Easter… in July. Or you address a student as “Michael” when their name is definitely not Michael. (Apologies to all the […]

Some families pass down jewellery or recipes - mine passes down the performer's spark. My great-great-grandfather, Patrick James Duffy, founded Duffy's Circus in Ireland in 1775. My grandparents defied gravity as trapeze artists, bareback riders, and jugglers, performing at the London Palladium. Today, my uncles are talented performers and musicians, and their kids? One is […]

When life's challenges become overwhelming, I yearn for the calm, peace and beauty of the great outdoors. Problems have a magical way of shrinking, if not disappearing altogether for a little while. The focus changes from modern-life challenges to the visceral; avoiding puddles, not losing the dog, finding your way when the map lets you […]