Wellbeing Hub

Why we’re called Hammock Counselling: recovery, metaphor and the human face behind the practice

We’re Ed and Tom, the co-founders Hammock Counselling. We set up Hammock because we wanted to offer something that felt human, steady and accessible: a practice where people can be welcomed by real individuals who listen, reflect and work collaboratively. We’re not a faceless organisation – we’re two practitioners who care deeply, and we’ve built a hand-picked team of excellent counsellors and supervisors who share our vision: professionalism, depth, rigour, and an integrative, psychodynamic-influenced approach. Together, we form the Hammock team.

That belief sits squarely within the Recovery Model of mental health. Put simply, recovery emphasises hope, personal agency and meaning, rather than treating people merely as problems to be fixed. William A. Anthony defined recovery as “a deeply personal, unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles… a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even with the limitations caused by illness.” Research Into Recovery+1

Why the Recovery Model matters to our practice

The Recovery Model reframes the purpose of mental health support. Rather than a narrow focus solely on symptom reduction, it foregrounds what people want their lives to contain: relationships, purpose, autonomy, dignity. A major systematic review developed the CHIME framework (Connectedness; Hope & optimism; Identity; Meaning & purpose; Empowerment) as key processes in personal recovery. Cambridge University Press & Assessment+1

There is growing policy and practice endorsement for recovery-oriented approaches. For example, the transformation needed in mental health systems to support recovery-oriented practices is clearly discussed by Mike Slade and colleagues, noting both promise and challenges. PMC+1

Empirically, the recovery approach has been associated with promising outcomes in hope, social inclusion and personal functioning – though not a panacea, it complements clinical care rather than replaces it. PubMed

For us, this matters practically: we want counselling at Hammock to be something people do because they’re curious, want to grow, or want a more resilient emotional life – just as much as something they do because they’re in crisis. In that sense, we often liken counselling to going to the gym: regular sessions are an investment in your emotional and relational strength, not only a last-resort when things fall apart.

The hammock as metaphor & why it captures what we hope to offer

The hammock is the image we return to because it holds several therapeutic truths in a single, accessible image.

Being held, without being boxed in. A hammock supports you – it cradles, contours, holds you gently. That balance mirrors the therapeutic frame: consistent, safe boundaries & openness and exploration.
A pause that invites noticing. When you lie in a hammock, time slows: you notice your breathing, the air, the leaves above. Therapy can be this kind of pause: a contained space where things that felt chaotic can become clearer.
Perspective and upward gaze. In a hammock you often look up: at branches, the sky, light. That upward glance becomes a metaphor for perspective shift – starting to see things differently.
Gentle movement and adaptability. Hammocks sway; they move with you. Therapy isn’t always linear – we follow what emerges, adjust, allow small shifts to build into change.

We chose the hammock not just because it’s a pleasant image – although it is – but because it encapsulates the mixture of containment and freedom, rest and potential movement, that we aim to offer.

Working with metaphor in therapy

Metaphor is not decorative – it’s deeply practical. Many experiences we hold inside are pre-verbal or felt rather than easily describable. Metaphors give texture to those experiences and offer alternative routes into understanding and change. When someone says “I feel like I’m wearing someone else’s clothes” or “I’m carrying a heavy rucksack”, the metaphor opens a pathway for therapeutic exploration that literal description might not.

When we use metaphor in sessions, we’re inviting curiosity and co-creation. Metaphors are tools for sense-making, not fixed diagnoses. A metaphor can change as therapy progresses – that evolution can itself be a marker of recovery: a client’s image of themselves might move from “broken” to “tired” to “repairing” to “rebuilding”.

“Hammock” is thus both our public name and a living clinical image: we bring it into sessions when helpful, and we let your own metaphors lead the way when yours fit better.

Our team, our practice – how this looks in Hammock Counselling

Because we believe in depth, rigour and professional integrity, our Hammock team comprises of a selected group of counsellors and supervisors who share our ethos. Each team-member brings integrative training, psychodynamic awareness and strong digital/online practice skills (since we offer online counselling at low cost). We maintain consistent session frames, confidentiality, and a collaborative environment that honours your goals, pace and agency.

In practice this means:

We begin with hope and collaboratively consider goals that matter to you.
Our interventions are co-created; we don’t “do to” you – we work with you.
We maintain a consistent frame (online session length, boundaries, confidentiality) that creates reliability and safety.
We attend to not just “what’s wrong” but “what matters” to you; your values, relationships, work, routines, community.
We honour the full recovery model: beyond symptom relief, we facilitate connection, meaning, identity, empowerment.

A small note on evidence and realism

It’s important to be transparent: recovery approaches are not magic. Research shows variability in outcomes depending on how recovery principles are implemented. PMC+1 But the conceptual and empirical literature consistently points to the value of hope, agency and social inclusion as central to meaningful lives. Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Invitation

If the idea of therapy as an act of recovery – a place to rest, reflect and strengthen – speaks to you, we’d love to talk. Ed & Tom, and our team at Hammock Counselling is ready to welcome you into a space that’s human, hopeful and grounded. Whether you come in a moment of crisis or simply out of curiosity, we hope you’ll find a steadied space where metaphor, meaning and practical work combine.

Thanks all

(Hammock co-founder & private practice therapist)