Counselling for Loneliness
Loneliness can be present even when you are surrounded by people. You may want connection but also feel the need to withdraw, particularly when social contact feels tiring or overwhelming. Fear of rejection or being misunderstood can make it difficult to reach out, leaving you unsure where—or with whom—you truly belong.
Why do I feel lonely, but then want to be left alone? It can be confusing to long for connection while also finding company tiring, exposing, or overwhelming. You may feel lonely in a crowded room, unseen in close relationships, or separate from people who seem to connect easily. Perhaps social contact leaves you exhausted, so you withdraw to recover, only to feel the ache of disconnection again. Fear of rejection may make reaching out feel risky, particularly if past experiences have taught you to protect yourself. These feelings are not contradictory; they may reflect needs for safety and belonging.
Counselling can offer a relationship in which your experiences of closeness, distance, and belonging can be explored without judgement. Together, we may notice what happens when you want connection, when you feel the need to protect yourself, and what makes relationships feel nourishing or exhausting. We can consider how earlier relationships, rejection, loss, social expectations, identity, and present circumstances may shape these patterns.
I work relationally, paying attention both to the relationships in your life and to how connection is experienced between us in counselling. The pace is collaborative, with space for boundaries, uncertainty, and difference. This can be especially relevant if being LGBTQ+ has involved hiding parts of yourself, feeling outside expected norms, or searching for affirming community. However you identify, counselling can support a fuller understanding of what safety, connection, and belonging mean for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Loneliness is not always about being physically alone. You may have friends, family, colleagues, or a partner and still feel unseen, misunderstood, or unable to share important parts of yourself.
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Connection may be something you long for while also feeling tiring, uncertain, or risky. Withdrawing can provide rest or protection, particularly if previous experiences of closeness have involved rejection, disappointment, or pressure.
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Counselling provides a confidential relationship in which you can explore how you experience closeness, distance, trust, and belonging. We may notice patterns of reaching out or withdrawing and consider what those patterns help protect.
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No. I welcome people of all identities and backgrounds. My approach is LGBTQ+ affirming and attentive to how identity, difference, discrimination, and social expectations can affect someone’s experience of connection and belonging.
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You will not be pressured to socialise more or approach relationships in a particular way. Counselling can help you explore what makes contact exhausting, what kinds of connection feel more manageable, and how your needs for company, solitude, safety, and rest might coexist.
Practical information
Online sessions: £35
In-person sessions: £45
Session length: 50 minutes
In-person location: Castleford
Online sessions: Available across the UK
Evening appointments: Available
Reduced-fee spaces: Available
Free introductory call: 20 minutes