My Story
Hi, my name is Clare Cogan, I am the founder of ‘Creating Calm’, supporting families to create more calm in their lives
I am a Teenage Mental Health specialist, supporting parents and teens with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, motivation, self confidence and self esteem.
This is my business of 16 years standing where I utilise over 20 years’ experience working with and supporting young people and their families in a variety of capacities. I am also a wife, and a mum to two teenage sons who light up my world and at the same time, present me with the most immense, unexpected, and frustrating challenges I have ever experienced during nearly 17 years of motherhood!
The reason I do what I do? Because most of my life I have suffered to some degree or another with anxiety. Worries about what is going on in my life right now, concerns about the future.
This huge collection of thoughts, worries and anxieties played havoc with my brain, leading to a roller coaster of symptoms, including emetophobia at the age of 15 (fear of being sick), a heart condition brought on by stress at the age of 21 and a variety of anxiety induced panic attacks and fears in between those times.
Having my first child 16 years ago ramped up those anxieties, because it was now not only about me anymore. Would they be safe? How would I cope being a mum? As parents we are by nature having to face the unexpected, the letting go, the navigation of difficult scenarios which aren’t always our own but feel like they are.
Having my boys totally gave me the wakeup call I needed to start to properly work on myself. I had been in and out of counselling and various therapies including CBT for most of my teenage and adult life. But now, I needed to find something which properly addressed these overwhelming anxieties, long term.
And that is when I discovered solution focused therapy. Understanding how my brain worked and why I got myself into an acutely anxious state literally changed my life overnight. Once I understood what was going on in my mind, and why I was in such a state of paralysis, anger, or downright loneliness I started to take control back.
And giving me that control back has been, and continues to be, life changing for me.
The biggest initial life change was giving up my part time job and focusing solely on running my business which I had built over the 16 years of being a mum. However, life happens, and we all face challenges as we move through our lives, and this approach and understanding I now carry with me supports the way I interpret my world, make decisions every day and prevent myself from falling back into that black hole of anxiety I regularly used to find myself in.
As my boys have grown, so have I, and the ups and downs of the teenage years are not lost on me. The emotional roller coaster we go on as a parent when are children are young can be tough, but when we have to face a plethora of different issues as our children start to grow up and away from us, that is something else entirely.
My wish for my boys as they navigate the tricky years of a developing teenage brain is that they understand what they need to do for themselves to feel calm, confident and in control, even when things are tough. This learning I have I also teach to the young people and their parents who choose to work with me, for me this educating around this subject has become a deep passion and life’s work, both personally and professionally.
So, if you are a parent or young person reading this right now, I want you to know that you are not alone.
There are ways you can be supported even if you are at a loss and are struggling to understand why you feel the way you do. For you as a parent, I can help you navigate those tough, worrying times when you don’t know where to turn, and for your teenagers, I offer a safe space to learn more about what it means to truly support our emotional health right now, and in the future.
Sometimes it is difficult to work out when outside help is needed, and we can turn these thoughts round and round in our head. It is why I offer a 30-minute phone call to share your concerns and for me to explain how I can help. Change starts with one single step, and this could be yours.
Book in for a chat using the link below. Let’s have a conversation and see how I can help you all.
Ready to take the next step?
You don’t have to figure this out alone. It starts by getting in touch.
Whether you’re looking for support for your teenager, or you’re a parent who needs space to explore your own experience, I offer an initial call where we can talk through what’s going on. I’ll explain how I work with both teens and parents, and you’ll have space to ask any questions.
There’s no pressure—just the opportunity to explore what support feels right for you and your family.
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Cost per Session £90
Or if you have any queries, then why not get in touch and I will be happy to answer them for you: