Samantha Whiteside

My current counselling/coaching days are Tues/Wed/Thurs with morning, afternoon and (limited) evening availability

Life as a mum can be stressful whether it's caused by our children or not! Life throws many things at us no matter what age we are, what age our children are, whether they are living with us or somewhere else! We can feel so many emotions; confused, distressed , lonely , angry or just 'stuck' with a person or situation in our life. We can often lose our sense of self or the identity we have besides being a mum. This can happen in our home or work-life. Sometimes there can be a poor balance between home and work-life which pushes us to the point of unhappiness, distress or confusion.

Speaking to family, friends or colleagues can help but sometimes it can be useful to speak to someone neutral. I am a mum of two and have been a doctor since 2000, still working as a GP both in the NHS and private sector. I am very aware that medication is not always the best option for people's emotional distress and that is why I chose to do Counselling, and then Coaching, training. This combination can help nurture inner peace but also help self-growth thrive.

I am able to offer mums of any age or stage in life a nurturing, safe, compassionate and empowering counselling and/or coaching sessions in a safe and confidential way. I am known for my personable and motivating way of being. I do 1:1 sessions face to face or online but also run some workshops for mums (see 'Workshops' header on my website)

​I counsel/coach a wide variety of areas including stress, anxiety, grief, worklife balance, relationship issues, but have increasing experience and training in helping mums with relationship difficulties at home or work. This varies from dealing with difficult conversations, support with emotional abuse / co-ersive control relationships or dealing with the effect that past traumas are having on current relationships.

​If you are suffering from symptoms due to the peri-menopause (the years leading up to menopause) please see the ‘Menopausal Mums’ header on my website.

I trained as a Person-Centred Counsellor but have done Coaching training and some CBT training. I therefore use an integrative approach which can vary within sessions or form session to session depending on what best suits my clients needs.