Counselling gave busy mum-of-four Liz a time and a place where her feelings were the most important ones in the room.

She was able to say how she felt out loud 鈥� with someone listening to her every word.

She wasn鈥檛 judged.聽She was understood.

And that made a difference to the 36-year-old mum, who was used to putting everyone else in her family鈥檚 needs first and who had gone through postnatal depression after the birth of her third child.

鈥淲hen you have children, it changes every part of your life. It鈥檚 amazing 鈥� but it鈥檚 a big shift,鈥� she said.

鈥淎s a mum it helps to talk to somebody who鈥檚 not judging you. It gives you that time when you are the most important person. That鈥檚 something you really need.

鈥淚t helped me think that I鈥檓 worth having time for myself, to talk about my feelings, for my own self-care.

This was something for me

鈥淭his was something for me. I鈥檝e always done everything else for my baby, my children, my family.鈥�

After her youngest daughter was born Liz began to feel low and recognise some familiar signs.

鈥淲ith my third child, I鈥檇 suffered with post-natal depression. I wanted to stop myself ending up down that road again,鈥� she said.

鈥淚鈥檓 very good at putting on a brave face, however I鈥檓 feeling internally.聽 But I knew I was feeling low.

鈥淚鈥檇 stopped enjoying walking the dogs. I was feeling quite resentful. I was quite snappy with my husband. I was feeling quite cross with everybody. I knew I felt different in myself. I wanted to sort it out.

鈥淚鈥檇 also had a long-term friendship that had broken down and I wanted help to try to process that.鈥�

Liz noticed an advert in her local library for free counselling sessions for mums.

The sessions were being run by 香港六合彩精准资料 member Natasha Page, who runs This is Me Counselling in Nottingham.

Natasha had secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund so she could offer six free counselling sessions to mums with children aged under two.

She understood

Liz added: 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have afforded to go counselling otherwise, so I got in touch with her.

鈥淚 thought that I鈥檇 say things out loud to her and it would be really horrendous, and she would say 鈥榦h my God.鈥�

鈥淏ut of course, it wasn鈥檛 like that. She was non-judgmental. She understood.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a real difference between someone just nodding and smiling and someone empathising and understanding.

鈥淪he was very warm, but also there were boundaries. I appreciated that.

鈥淭ime went really quickly. It didn鈥檛 take long for me to feel comfortable in the sessions.鈥�

One of the reasons Liz had gone to counselling, was because she鈥檇 been increasingly feeling that she must be in the wrong about things.

Through the counselling sessions, she learnt how to be more compassionate to herself.

鈥淚 wanted to say what I was feeling out loud. I wanted to put that distance between what I said and what I felt,鈥� she added.

Talking about things helped

鈥淏eing able to talk to somebody who wasn鈥檛 family, who had that alternative perspective, was very important to me.

鈥淭alking about things helped. It wasn鈥檛 instant, but I鈥檝e noticed it. I haven鈥檛 snapped since,鈥� she said.

聽鈥淭he counselling helped me say goodbye to the friendship that had broken down after 30 years. It helped me put it behind me. It helped give me some closure.鈥�

She鈥檇 encourage people, especially new mums, who are able to access counselling to 鈥済o for it.鈥�

Liz added: 鈥淐ounselling has helped me feel that I鈥檓 not right on the edge any more. It鈥檚 helped lift a weight from my shoulders.鈥�

If you'd like to talk to a counsellor about any of the issues in this article, see How to find a therapist.