Alison Huckle

You're exhausted, but you can't switch off. You're still showing up for everyone else, but there's nothing left underneath. Maybe you're still functioning, still coping, right up until you can't. If that's where you are right now, you're not broken, and you're not alone.

I understand this both professionally and personally. I have written about my own journey through burnout for Therapy Today, because I learned that recovery requires something braver than "pushing through", it requires the courage to be gentle.

I work as a companion, not someone who tells you that you need to be "fixed". Instead, I offer a steady, relatable relationship where we can gently explore the patterns that leave you feeling depleted. Part of that work involves learning to challenge unhelpful or ruminating thoughts, not to dismiss them, but to notice them mindfully and to help loosen their grip.

That's part of the courage to be gentle: gently, that exhaustion can loosen its hold, and you can find your way back to feeling like yourself again.

I work with individuals, couples, and older adults, and I have particular experience supporting people through burnout and compassion fatigue, especially those in caring professions, counsellors, healthcare workers, carers, who give so much to others that they lose touch with their own needs.

Our work is centred on our relationship, with an understanding that healing isn't only psychological, there is often something beyond words at play too, and that the body itself holds what the mind hasn't caught up to yet. I have drawn together Five Gentle Shifts that support recovery from burnout, noticing what the body is holding as much as what the mind is thinking, and which clients are welcome to take away and revisit in their own time.

Grief doesn't move in straight lines, and it doesn't end when people expect it to. I don't believe grief is something to move past, but something we learn to carry differently over time.

Abandonment doesn't always mean someone who left. It can be a parent who stayed but wasn't really there, or someone made distant through addiction. I work with people making sense of all these forms of abandonment, and I also support family members affected by a loved one's alcoholism or addiction.

Anger is an emotion, and like any emotion, it's information, it tells us something is happening. I don't see anger as something to be suppressed or "managed," but as something to be understood. Anger doesn't have to escalate into rage, that more primal state where the thinking brain goes offline. Understanding anger early is often what keeps it from ever reaching that point.

Sessions with me tend to feel unhurried. There is no script to follow and no pace to keep up with. I follow you, I don't lead you, only space to notice what's true for you today.

Before booking, I offer a free 30-minute consultation over Zoom. This isn't just a formality, it gives us both a chance to see if we're a good fit, and if you're hoping to meet in person, it's an important safety step before I welcome anyone into my home. For the same reason, I don't share my phone number directly, all initial contact goes through email or the initial consultation booking.

For individuals: Your first full session is led by you, not by a set agenda. We'll talk about what's brought you here, at whatever pace feels manageable. I can't say in advance how long we'll work together, since that depends entirely on what you bring and what you need, this isn't a fixed programme, it's a relationship that moves at the pace of what's actually presenting.

For couples: I ask both partners to complete a life history intake form separately before the first booked session. This gives me a clearer sense of the patterns and history we'll be working with. 

Our ongoing sessions together take place in person, though our first consultation is always online, for the safety reasons mentioned above.

You don't need to have the right words, or even know exactly why you're reaching out, that's something we can find out together.

Booking is simple. Book directly through my website and you'll receive an automatic Zoom link straight away, so you can choose a time and get started immediately. Alternatively, fill in the enquiry form on this page and I'll email you a booking link as soon as I'm able to, followed by a text, so you're not left wondering if it's gone through. I would also ask you to check your spam folder as sometimes emails go there. 

I am an integrative practitioner and qualified supervisor dedicated to Relational Sustainability. I believe that the most powerful tool a helper has is their own unique presence. My work is specifically designed for:

• The Independent Practitioner: Navigating the creative but often lonely path of private practice.
  
• The Professional Care-Giver: Those holding space for others in high-pressure roles who need a restorative place to land.
  

Rooted in Petrūska Clarkson’s Five-Relationship model, I prioritise a warm, human-to-human connection that honours your lived experience and your professional integrity.

My supervision style is a blend of empowerment and ethical rigour. I recognise that those who move through the world differently often possess professional superpowers; creativity, deep intuition, and a unique way of seeing the world, that are vital to the work.

Using the Seven-Eyed Model, I provide the containment needed to keep these creative gifts safely anchored within the BACP Ethical Framework. This is a non-pathologising, restorative partnership. I don’t aim to 'correct' your style; instead, I provide the relational accountability that ensures you stay unsinkable, ethical, and deeply inspired in your practice.

Our initial supervision session is a space to explore the Working Alliance. For those in high-pressure roles, I provide a restorative environment where we can step away from 'vertical' demands and focus on your professional sustainability.

What to expect:

• Developing the Bond: We will explore your current work and how your unique creative superpowers can be harnessed to support your clients or team.
  
• Setting the Anchor: I work with a formal supervision contract which I provide before our work commences. During this session, we will discuss this together to ensure our partnership is firmly anchored in the BACP Ethical Framework.
  
• The Seven-Eyed Perspective: We will look at how we use the Seven-Eyed Model to track your work, ensuring you feel safely supported and professionally grounded without feeling 'critiqued' or judged.
  

The Goal:

My aim is for you to leave this first session feeling lighter and more equipped. This is a collaborative space; we are checking to see if our relational styles align so that you can work at your best, free from the exhaustion of professional masking.