A woman with blonde hair reading a book titled 'No Bad Parts' from the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach while sitting on the floor with a German Shepherd dog lying behind her, in a cosy indoor setting.

Blog Posts

Blog Posts & Reflections

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Is it all just too monotonous?

When life is all logistics, partners and families can feel like housemates. A therapist looks at why, and what research says about trying new things together.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Do you go quiet in an argument?

Silence between partners, friends or parents and teenagers can feel safer than a row. A therapist explains why going quiet can push people apart.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Why can't I imagine a future I want?

A low mood or depression can make the future feel blank or unreachable. Therapy can help you understand this disconnection and gently rediscover what matters to you.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

The grief you haven't realised is still there

Grief isn't only about death. If you're carrying a loss that doesn't fit the usual picture of grief or feel like you should be over something by now, this post might help.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Your body knew before you did

Tight chest, unsettled stomach, tense shoulders; your body picks up on stress and anxiety before you do. Here's what those signals might mean, and why we need to listen to them.
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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

When you slip back

Relapse isn't proof you've failed. If you've slipped back into self-harm, addiction or compulsive behaviour, this post explains what's happening and why shame tends to make it worse.
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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

The doubt that keeps coming back

Questioning your relationship but not sure why? This post explores what relationship doubt is really about, and when it might be worth looking at it more closely.
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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Why we repeat our parents' relationship patterns

We often repeat our parents' relationship patterns because our nervous system is wired to seek out what is familiar, even if it is painful. Systemic therapy helps us understand these inherited dynamics, allowing us to break intergenerational cycles not necessarily by assigning blame, but rather by creating new, safer ways of relating.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Techno-stress and the nervous system: how AI and always-on culture drive anxiety

Anxiety driven by AI disruption, digital overload, and the pressure to stay perpetually available is not a character flaw or a failure of resilience. It is a physiological response to an environment that has changed faster than human nervous systems were designed to accommodate. This post explores what that response involves and what support can look like.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

The role of IFS in clinical supervision: looking inward alongside the case

IFS-informed supervision does not simply review clinical material. It invites the therapist to notice their own internal response to that material as data rather than interference. This post explores what that looks like in practice and why it can shift the quality of the therapeutic work.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

Navigating identity and transition anxiety in young adulthood

Leaving school or university involves more than a change of timetable. For many young adults, it triggers a form of identity crisis that goes unnamed and unsupported. This post explores why transition anxiety at this life stage is so common, what it involves, and where support is available.

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Jo-Anne Karlsson Jo-Anne Karlsson

The silent strain at the top: understanding executive burnout and decision fatigue

Leadership positions carry a particular kind of psychological weight that standard wellbeing advice rarely touches. This post explores what decision fatigue and executive burnout feel like from the inside, why high-performing people are often the last to seek support, and what a different kind of help might look like.

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