Seven weeks after our last session, I’m working on relaxing my need for control and accepting all my emotions. Irene Stoppoloni, an existential counsellor, says the first step is compassion and acceptance. I felt ashamed to admit I’d relied on someone, and so I denied my feelings, but you don’t get to choose which emotions to turn off; instead, you end up switching them all off and numbing out. To fully experience joy, you have to accept the undercurrents, too.

I’ve recently been assigned a new therapist through the same low-cost counselling service. She’s also in training, which means this time next year, she’ll likely move on too. I can’t anticipate how I’ll feel, but I’ll try and welcome every emotion as it crops up. I’ve learned that we can only begin to fill ourselves back up by admitting all our feelings. As Stoppoloni says: “After the rupture comes the repair. That’s the most beautiful part.”

“My therapist ended our sessions – why do I feel like I’ve been dumped?”