Judy Harrison

Having been married for about 30 years we had drifted apart. We decided to renew our relationship but this was a challenging path and it initiated a number of traumas for us both. We needed impartial help and professional advice. We had 8 sessions with Judy at Klearminds over a period of 7 months. These included one longer “emergency” session when we were finding ourselves coming off the rails. Judy was clearly very experienced and enabled us to understand what was happening between us and she gave us tools and frameworks to help us rebuild trust and confidence. Although we will always carry scars, our relationship and marriage is on firm ground and is stronger now than it has been for 20 years or more.

I found my time in therapy with Judy a very positive experience. I had therapy with Judy for about a year and a half. I suffer from generalised anxiety, social anxiety, depression and porn addiction. I tried therapy about ten years ago and it helped me considerably, but I had fallen back into old thinking patterns and forgotten many of the tools I learned.

I tried other therapists a couple of times for several months which didn’t help, but I could tell in the first session Judy was likely to be able to help me. It’s important to find the right therapist for you.

The things I found most helpful about therapy with Judy were:

I felt comfortable talking about very personal things without feeling judged. Talking about my thoughts made me more conscious of them and enabled me to figure out why I felt anxious and/or depressed. With Judy’s help and a different perspective, I was able to challenge negative thoughts and break down problems or issues I faced and come up with a wide range of possible solutions. This process made me feel like a weight was lifted, helped me make much better life decisions and gave me more confidence to go through with things I wanted to do instead of being too scared.

I learned many techniques I could draw upon if I started to feel down or anxious. Having these tools made my emotions feel more manageable. I started to feel more in control and self-sufficient when dealing with negative thoughts and emotions, though this took time and practice.
Learning about the nervous system and how anxiety works helped me understand how I could interrupt the vicious cycle of anxiety. The extra support therapy gave me helped me to feel less isolated and alone with my problems.

The changes I’ve made in my life since starting therapy have made me feel more aligned with myself and significantly increased my levels of happiness. In addition to therapy, I’ve tried medication (sertraline) which I think has made a big difference too. The combination of these two approaches has worked well for me.

It’s not that everything is amazing all the time, I still have anxiety issues but nowhere near as intensely and when I do experience anxiety, it doesn’t bother me as much. I also don’t get the catastrophic lows that I frequently used to experience. I’m happier, more positive and optimistic, I have closer relationships with my family, my feelings of loneliness have almost gone entirely and I’m pursuing a career I feel passionate about. I’m able to look forward to things again and enjoy social situations with good friends. For these reasons, I would recommend therapy with Judy.

I’m still a work in progress but I’ve noticed a big improvement in my life and how I feel.

Me and the people around me in my life were of the opinion that therapy was a waste of money and that many of the regular intense feelings that I had every day (anger, doubt in myself, my choices and my relationships) and the overthinking/analysis that I performed in order to help “figure these things out” were just “part of the parcel of life” and that I should just calm down and get on with it.

Knowing therapy was always an option, I took the hard approach for over 10 years. My views were “I’m a mentally strong man and I will battle this every day and NEVER break like others around me” “I won’t show a chink in my armour or any sign of weakness in a million years” “I will outlast a weak minded society and continue being successful in life and on a pathway that I decide is best for me” “the world is wrong – the news, social media (professional and social) reports are jumping on the bandwagon and giving in to the “snowflake generation” by constantly mollycoddling society and simply ticking a box with their focus on mental health”

I thought that all I needed were close family and friends to talk to about what I was going through and that this would be enough to reassure myself that I was fine and that I was on the right path regardless. Whilst this approach was very helpful and probably a major reason why I didn’t end up in a terrible state, this only provided relief for short periods and I was always back to square one again very quickly. After all i was someone who often doubted myself and others.

Everything came on top at one particular point and fortunately I was able to recognise this along with the people who were close to me (through my openness with them they were able to spot this too). There was no “major event” that triggered this however I concluded that I had to take action if I was to prevent an entire lifetime fighting a constant and unsustainable mental battle every day.

I thoroughly researched therapists and decided that Judy was the most qualified person to help me. The descriptions / biographies on Klearminds allowed me to do this a lot easier than other websites and if you are reluctant to try therapy this process can be off putting but I urge you to persist.

I didn’t expect it but the first session was life altering in itself. This was simply the “getting to know the you” stage but saying the words out loud to Judy provided an overwhelming sense of release and resulted in a surprisingly emotional first session. This was the start of what was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

It’s now 1 month after I have completed therapy and I couldn’t recommend Judy more highly. The key points/takeaways for me were:

We set clear goals and achieved them which disproved my thoughts that therapy was a waste of money/I’d be strung along forever making marginal or temporary improvements.

You have to be completely honest so that Judy can help you (there is never judgement, just help)

I have a greater understanding of myself and my brain than ever before

In order to get the most out of these sessions you must be prepared to apply what you learn in real life.

The techniques and clarity that I have gained have ended the constant mental battle for all of the issues that I felt I had.

Be kind to yourself (for real)

I am a 66 year old Irish woman. I say Irish as we are known to carry a lot of guilt and baggage and keep keep our emotions inside. My whole life I’ve spent worrying about everything and anything and my biggest fault was never being able to say no to anybody. My son in law said to me last year “if you’re always doing the same thing and getting the same results, why not do something different”. So I decided to make a change. My daughter researched therapists and found KlearMinds to be the best. She looked at a number of clinics and therapists and the reviews at KlearMinds speak for themselves. I have to say I was filled with anxiety over which therapist I would choose or be allocated to. However that anxiety was completely dispelled the first day I met Judy. I knew immediately she was the right person for me.

She even managed to diagnose what I was suffering from in the second session. It was one of those light bulb moments when you get the name of what you suffer from and realise how life changing it could be to develop tools to change particular habits. From then on it was truly enlightening and I began to look forward to our weekly sessions. Therapy is not easy and you really only get out what you put in. But for me it has helped me create boundaries and to say NO. If you are worried about your relationship with the therapist assigned to you I’d say give it a try. I’m pretty sure all the therapists are hand picked and are excellent, but speaking from experience I absolutely love Judy and she has been a godsend into my life. Nothing ventured, nothing gained is my motto now. I’m incredibly grateful to Judy for her extensive knowledge and caring attitude.

My life in a short time has been transformed. In some ways I wish I’d entered therapy earlier and maybe not made half the mistakes I’ve made, but I’m also aware these mistakes make me the person I am today. I cannot recommend KlearMinds enough. Of course I’m a little biased now and would highly recommend Judy Harrison, but she is superb in every way. She is extremely calm, kind and easy to talk to. She prepares for each session, so they are structured and so that the clients get the most out of every session. I cannot rave about her enough and feel silly now at the idea of ever having trepidation about therapy.

I entered therapy for the first time unsure how I would feel and if I would be able to open up but a really safe and comfortable environment was provided which made me feel at ease from the start. I came for work related stress and have felt a big change in my experience at work since I began the sessions. Processing how I think and what I can do to support myself has been incredibly helpful and I have finished my sessions with tools to continue supporting myself outside of therapy.

I came to Judy struggling to understand the impact sexual abuse that had taken place in my childhood had had on me. I knew there were things bubbling below the surface that were weaving their way into how I formed relationships and the way I have behaved since I was a teenager, but I didn’t know what they were or how to deal with them. The hours I’ve spent working with Judy have been the most valuable of my life. Not only did we form a trusting, patient relationship, but she helped me slowly understand what had happened to me. After [three] months of work I now feel equipped to do things differently. It’s been the most liberating and empowering experience and I’ve learnt things that will stay with me forever. Thank you Judy!

My experience with Judy has been incredibly special and very precious. Setting aside time to properly grieve the death of my mother was very important to me. During our work together in bereavement therapy, my mother was always at the centre of it all, so we celebrated her as well as getting me to a stronger and more peaceful place in my life. The process wasn’t always easy, but Judy intuitively knew where I was at and where to go next, really understanding what I personally needed at every stage and adapting our focus to what else was going on in my life too. It was a very human experience full of empathy but with tangible results at the end and I emerge hugely grateful for that partnership at a time when you can feel very alone.

I have struggled with anxiety for my entire life and when I first met with Judy I thought she would help me manage it but I would never be able to overcome it. With Judy’s help I would no longer consider myself an anxious person. I do not experience anxiety on a daily basis like I used to when I first started therapy, and even more than that I now go months on end without even having the most minimal symptoms of anxiety. The way that I describe the effect that therapy has had on me is that it has allowed me to finally be myself, without anxiety preventing me from doing things or making me act in ways that I am ashamed of or regret afterwards. I am able to be fully present in my relationships and experiences, without worrying about the future or the past while talking to people or doing things.

For anyone who experiences anxiety on a day to day basis, or if anxiety is preventing you from working, attending social events, or just being able to be present in your own life, I could not recommend therapy with Judy more. Without her I would still be living under a cloud of worry, and I feel grateful that I was able to find Judy so early in my life, because I really feel I would not have been able to get to where I am now without her help. Therapy is much more than talking to someone – if you have anxiety it is a mental illness and you need a good doctor to help you through it. I am thankful to Judy for helping me through it, and could not recommend her more to anyone who is struggling with anxiety. It is not something that you have to live with!

I came to Judy when I found myself with increasing anxiety, problems with sleeping and lack of appetite. I felt like my head was a muddle of negative thoughts and while this hadn’t been triggered by one particular event, I knew that it was being antagonised by workplace stress and conflict, as well as a lifelong lack of self-confidence. I immediately connected with Judy who listened patiently. I knew I wanted to understand why I think like this, but ultimately I wanted to move forward with practical techniques to help me cope better. Judy helped me firstly understand my anxiety, she also made me realise that I wasn’t alone in the way I think. We recognised my triggers and my responses to situations, but also talked through some previous experiences which had shaped my mindset. We developed techniques to help me cope better, rebuilt my confidence and I can honestly say I have felt like a different person ever since. If like me, you are reading these reviews and recognise your own thoughts and feelings, go ahead and start a course of therapy, I couldn’t recommend Judy more highly.

I am really happy to leave a review in respect of Judy’s excellent stewardship of a mediation process between myself and a psychotherapist with whom I had a matter to resolve. Judy is warm and insightful and helped me (and I believe the other party) to identify the areas of concern and express them clearly in a safe and supportive environment.

I had no prior experience nor expectation of the process but I can honestly say that the process was excellent, informative and very beneficial. I would strongly recommend seeking Judy’s help when parties (be it professional or personal) are unable to resolve their issues.

When I started working with Judy I was having a difficult time both at work and in my personal life. There were a number of issues I was facing specifically around relationships with people in my life and my confidence. Working with Judy helped me to understand these relationships and importantly how to change them for the better.

Judy gave me invaluable help and advice, and shared a number of tools that will always stay with me and help me deal with difficult situations in the future. I am now in such a good place and feel confident to be able to deal with the pressures of life on my own. Judy was so supportive and non-judgmental, I know I would ever have been able to achieve any of these changes without her help. Thank you much.

I sought therapy to get a better handle on my anger. Particularly, I wanted to ensure anger was not something that made either myself or my family suffer. Judy at KlearMinds was able to provide both practical advice on dealing with angry episodes and academic insight into the general themes around anger as a concept. 

She demonstrated to me how and why it occurs and what aspects of my history may have contributed to the challenges I face today. Hers is a comprehensive and holistic approach, one I endorse wholeheartedly. I expect to benefit from the ten sessions we had together over the long term.

I contacted KlearMinds after struggling to deal with anger that was ruining my relationship with my partner. I am very lucky that I found Judy. I had tried another therapist in the past but it did not work for me. 

Judy took me through an intensive 12 week course that delved into my past to see how this impacts present actions and emotions. I learnt how to link my physical and body reactions to real emotions through this scientific and structured approach to anger management. Judy was very kind, caring and gave me the hope and confidence I needed to make a change. Since starting the sessions I have been more positive and things have improved with my partner.