I was talking to a friend today. She told me that she went through her whole day without speaking to anyone. She called her bank, gone through a recorded line to get her account balance. She ordered her groceries on the internet. She did some freelance work online and via email. She chatted to a friend on whatsapp.
Without wanting to sound excessively nostalgic, I couldn’t help but compare it to the world just 30 or 40 years ago. Throughout the day we would have had little interactions with, perhaps, a postman, local shop assistant, neighbours and colleagues. Our phone calls and post would have been answered by real people. Even the most antisocial of us would have been known by the local community.
The world has certainly moved on and technological advances have made practical things a lot easier for us and also allowed many people to work flexibly from anywhere. And yet our emotional health needs have not really changed that much. There is a lot of academic evidence that social support structures like family, friends and community are a key to maintaining our mental health. Human beings are fundamentally social animals—from the moment we are born we seek connections with others to survive and thrive in the world.
This is why at Fernwood we aim to provide a service which recognises every one of our clients as individuals. We answer most of our emails within an hour. You can call us for a chat. You are welcome to drop by and talk to us. When you tell us something, we will try our best to remember it—whether it is the type of tea you drink, when you go on holiday next time or your preference for a particular type of theoretical orientation. And of course our therapists consider the bond they develop with you absolutely critical to the success of the work you do together.
If you think our team at Fernwood can help you with emotional concerns or difficult life events, please feel free to reach out to us.
Best wishes
The Fernwood Team
Without wanting to sound excessively nostalgic, I couldn’t help but compare it to the world just 30 or 40 years ago. Throughout the day we would have had little interactions with, perhaps, a postman, local shop assistant, neighbours and colleagues. Our phone calls and post would have been answered by real people. Even the most antisocial of us would have been known by the local community.
The world has certainly moved on and technological advances have made practical things a lot easier for us and also allowed many people to work flexibly from anywhere. And yet our emotional health needs have not really changed that much. There is a lot of academic evidence that social support structures like family, friends and community are a key to maintaining our mental health. Human beings are fundamentally social animals—from the moment we are born we seek connections with others to survive and thrive in the world.
This is why at Fernwood we aim to provide a service which recognises every one of our clients as individuals. We answer most of our emails within an hour. You can call us for a chat. You are welcome to drop by and talk to us. When you tell us something, we will try our best to remember it—whether it is the type of tea you drink, when you go on holiday next time or your preference for a particular type of theoretical orientation. And of course our therapists consider the bond they develop with you absolutely critical to the success of the work you do together.
If you think our team at Fernwood can help you with emotional concerns or difficult life events, please feel free to reach out to us.
Best wishes
The Fernwood Team
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