Finally, ME and CFS support that gets it
Compassionate support for living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome — the exhaustion, crashes and brain fog of a very real illness. We help you carry the load. We never question it.
Supportive counselling & hypnotherapy in Fareham, Hampshire, and online
Support for living with ME and chronic fatigue syndrome
ME/CFS is a physical illness, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we offer is support with the weight of living with it, alongside your medical care and entirely at your pace.
Fareham, Hampshire, plus online therapy UK wide
Free · No obligation · Online available · Sessions paced around your energy
Where we stand
What we do, and what we do not do
ME/CFS is a complex, long-term physical illness. It is not caused by stress, deconditioning, or a psychological problem, and it is not something you can think your way out of. Anyone telling you otherwise is not up to date.
We do not offer graded exercise therapy, or any programme based on gradually increasing your activity. NICE removed that recommendation in 2021 after finding it could cause harm, and we agree with that decision.
We do not present therapy as a treatment or a cure for ME/CFS, because it is neither. NICE is explicit that CBT is not a cure and should not be offered as one, and that it may be offered as supportive therapy to help people manage symptoms and ease the distress of living with a chronic illness. That is exactly what we do.
What we can help with is the anxiety, low mood, grief, isolation and frustration that come with a long-term illness, and with the practical business of coping. That is not a small thing, and it is not the same as fixing your ME.
You are not alone in this
Living with ME and chronic fatigue
You will know your own version of this better than any website. These are the things people most often bring to us.
- Post-exertional malaise
- Exhaustion that rest does not fix
- Muscle and joint pain
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Brain fog and word-finding
- Sensitivity to light and noise
- Not being believed
- Losing work or study
- Friendships quietly falling away
- Grief for the life you had
- Guilt about what you cannot do
- Anxiety about doing too much
Post-exertional malaise, the delayed crash after exertion, is the thing that most distinguishes ME/CFS and the thing others least understand. Nothing we do will ask you to push through it.
Worth saying out loud
You will be believed here
A great many people with ME/CFS have had the experience of not being taken seriously, by a doctor, an employer, a friend, or a service that told them the problem was their thinking.
If that has happened to you, it is understandable to approach a therapy practice warily, and we would rather acknowledge that than pretend it does not exist.
You will not be asked to prove how ill you are, told to push a little harder, or invited to consider whether it might be psychological. Your therapist will start from the position that you know your own body and your own limits better than they do.
The support
What supportive therapy can offer
Not treatment for the illness. Support with everything the illness has brought with it.
Somewhere to put the grief
Chronic illness involves real loss: of work, of plans, of a version of yourself. That deserves proper attention rather than being tucked away.
Anxiety and low mood
Both are common alongside long-term illness, and both respond to therapy in their own right, quite separately from the ME.
Relaxation and rest
Deep relaxation techniques you can use lying down, which some people find helps with tension, discomfort and the quality of rest.
The people around you
Explaining an invisible illness is exhausting in itself. We can work on those conversations, and on the guilt that follows saying no.
Support with pacing
Emotional support for staying inside your energy envelope, which is often harder psychologically than practically.
Being properly heard
An hour where you do not have to justify, minimise or perform being fine. For a good many people that is the whole point.
A word about pacing
Pacing means staying within your limits, not stretching them
Pacing, or energy management, means working within the energy you actually have rather than building gradually towards more. That distinction matters enormously, and it is the difference between the current NICE position and the one it replaced.
Where we can help is the psychological side of it. Pacing sounds simple and is genuinely difficult, because it means saying no on a good day, disappointing people, and resisting the temptation to catch up when you feel briefly better.
We will never set you activity targets or ask you to increase anything. Your limits are yours to set, and your medical team's to advise on.
Practical matters
How we adapt sessions around your energy
Energy is the currency here, and a therapy session costs some. We would rather plan around that than have you pay for it afterwards.
- Online as standard, so there is no travel and no getting dressed for it if you would rather not
- Shorter sessions if that suits you better, rather than a fixed hour because that is the convention
- Longer gaps between sessions where weekly is too much
- Rescheduling without fuss if you crash, because you will sometimes
- Camera off if you prefer, and breaks whenever you need one
Tell us on the free call what you can realistically manage, and we will build around it rather than the other way round.
No surprises
What happens when you get in touch
- 1
You send a message or call
A message is often easier than a phone call, and we will reply that way if you prefer.
- 2
A free 15 minute call
Short by design. Tell us what you are dealing with and what you can manage, and we will be honest about whether we can help.
- 3
We build it around you
Length, frequency and format agreed with you, online or in person in Fareham, and adjusted whenever you need.
Counselling from £72 a session. Hypnotherapy from £90. See all fees
Gentle support, whenever you are ready
There is no rush and no pressure here. If now is not the right time, the page will still be here when it is, and so will we.
Your questions answered
ME and chronic fatigue questions, answered
Do you offer graded exercise therapy?
No. We do not offer graded exercise therapy or any programme based on fixed increases in activity. NICE withdrew that recommendation in 2021 after concluding it could cause harm, and we will not set you activity targets or ask you to build up.
Can therapy cure my ME or CFS?
No, and we would never claim it could. ME/CFS is a physical illness that needs medical care. NICE is clear that CBT is not a cure and should not be offered as one, but may be offered as supportive therapy to help manage symptoms and ease the distress of living with a chronic illness. That is the honest description of what we do.
Are you saying my ME is psychological?
No. ME/CFS is a complex, multisystem physical illness. It is not caused by stress, deconditioning or how you think. Anxiety and low mood are common alongside it, as they are with any serious long-term illness, and that is what we can help with. The illness itself is a medical matter.
What if a session leaves me worse afterwards?
Tell us, and we will change how we work. Shorter sessions, longer gaps, camera off, breaks partway through, or a pause altogether. Post-exertional malaise is real and a therapy session is exertion like anything else. We would far rather adjust than have you pay for it for three days.
Should I see my GP as well?
Yes, always. Diagnosis and medical management should come from your GP or a specialist ME/CFS service, who can also refer you to a multidisciplinary team. We work alongside that care rather than instead of it.
Can you help with pacing?
We can help with the psychological side of it, which is often the hard part. Saying no on a good day, disappointing people, resisting the urge to catch up when you feel briefly better, and handling the guilt. We will not set targets or ask you to increase activity. Your limits are yours.
I have been dismissed by services before. Why would this be different?
That is a fair question, and a common experience. You will not be asked to prove how ill you are, told to push harder, or invited to consider whether it is psychological. Your therapist starts from the position that you know your own body better than they do.
What if I am too unwell to leave the house?
Then we work online, which many people with ME/CFS prefer regardless. Sessions can be shorter, spaced further apart, and taken lying down with the camera off. Tell us what you can manage and we will build around it.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no set number, and we would not put you on a course. Some people want a short piece of work around a specific difficulty. Others want occasional ongoing support. It is entirely yours to decide, and you can pause whenever you need to.
Do you work with long Covid too?
Yes, on the same basis. Many people with long Covid experience post-exertional malaise and the same pattern of not being believed. We offer the same supportive approach alongside your medical care, and the same commitment not to ask you to push through.
Whenever you are ready, we are here
A free 15 minute call, deliberately short. Tell us what you are dealing with and what you can manage, and we will be honest about whether we are the right support. No cost, no obligation, no pressure.