THE SPACES THAT HOLD US: REFLECTIONS FROM SYON PARK

Last month, I wrote about The Performance of Wellness and the pressure many of us feel to look like we have everything together. This month, I find myself reflecting on something quieter. Place. Not just where we work, but how certain spaces make us feel. My main practice is at The Stables in Syon Park, Brentford, a beautifully restored Grade II listed building surrounded by 200 acres of Capability Brown parkland. On paper, it is just a location, a therapy room, a place to work.

On weekends, I also see clients at 10 Harley Street, one of London’s most well-known addresses for clinical practice. These are two very different settings, but my commitment is the same.

Over time, I have learned that place is never just a backdrop. It is part of the work itself.

A DIFFERENT RHYTHM

Syon Park has a slower pace. It feels gentler, more in tune with people.

Clients often arrive carrying the full weight of modern life: deadlines, grief, anxiety, trauma, burnout, and all the constant demands of just being alive. But before they even reach the therapy room, something starts to change.

They walk through the grounds, notice the trees, and take a breath. They arrive.

Therapy does not begin when someone sits down in a chair. It begins when they feel safe enough to arrive.

A PLACE WITH A STORY

The building where I work was once part of the old stables at Syon Park. Today, it has been beautifully restored. It is light, welcoming, and thoughtfully updated. Still, there is a quiet sense of history here. Working in a place that has changed over time and still serves people helps me feel grounded. One client, who is especially sensitive to sensory experiences, paused during a session and smiled. “I can almost smell the horses.” There have been no horses here for many years, but her mind connected the building’s history to her own imagination.

This reminded me that no two people experience a place in exactly the same way. As therapists, we see that people notice different things. Some notice the light through the windows, others the texture of a cushion.

Some hear birdsong that others do not notice.

Others pick up the scent of fresh coffee from the café or the flowers outside the Garden Centre.

The nervous system is always gathering information, often without us even realising it. Working with neurodivergent clients has shown me how much environments matter. The way a space feels can affect whether someone feels alert, overwhelmed, curious, or calm.

There is no perfect space for everyone, but some places invite us to slow down and notice more.

For me, Syon Park has become one of those places.

WHAT COMMUNITY REALLY IS

Like many therapists, I spend much of my week working alone. The work is all about relationships, but most of it happens quietly. Session by session. Story by story. Person by person.

And yet I am not truly alone. In the same community, there are people whose work is very different from mine, and I have come to value their presence deeply. Different professions. Different expertise.

Different journeys.

Yet there is something connecting us all.

A commitment to people. A dedication to craft. A desire to create spaces where others can flourish.

And then there are the people who often go unnoticed. The staff at the garden centre. The gardeners tending the grounds. The café team. The familiar faces who greet you with a smile. The small nod as you walk past. The brief exchange that brightens your day.

It is easy to overlook these moments, but they matter. Over time, the team at the Garden Centre have greeted me with a warmth reserved for familiar faces. The caretaker always has time for a conversation.

The café staff recognise me. These interactions are never grand.

But they leave a lasting impression. They make me feel less like someone passing through and more like someone who belongs. Perhaps that is what community really is. Not extraordinary gestures. Just ordinary people, acknowledging one another, day after day.

THE THERAPIST IS HUMAN TOO.

As therapists, we spend much of our lives helping others feel seen. We listen carefully. We notice what is left unsaid. We create spaces where people feel understood. But we are human too. Beneath the qualifications. Beneath the training. Beneath the professional titles.

We all share the same need. To belong. To feel welcome. To feel recognised.

Not because we are special. Not because we are experts. But because we are human.

I am a different kind of therapist. Not because I say so, but because my clients tell me this. I bring all of myself to the work: my lived experience as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent person, my faith, my identity as a British Pakistani woman who grew up in Newcastle, who was the first in her family to go to university, and who has built something from very little. I am vibrant, charismatic, and deeply loyal to my clients, my community, and my work. I split my week between Syon Park and Harley Street. I live in Gloucester. I am committed, in every sense of the word.

For many clients, therapy becomes one of the few places where they can stop performing. Where can they put down the masks they wear in the outside world? Where they can simply be themselves. Perhaps therapists need that too. A place where there is no pressure to perform. No need to have all the answers.

No need to be anything other than human.

HEALING IN THE SPACES AROUND IT.

Inside the therapy room, the work often relies on simple things. A pen. A piece of paper. A cushion. A grounding exercise. Bilateral stimulation during EMDR. A pause. A moment of silence. None of these things is remarkable on its own. But they become meaningful because of the care and thought put into them. Healing rarely happens in a single breakthrough moment. More often, it happens through small moments repeated over time. A conversation. A reflection. A walk. A connection. A sense of safety. A feeling of being seen. The setting itself also matters. The gardens. The changing seasons. The walking paths. The moments between sessions.

The opportunity to step outside and reconnect with the world beyond the therapy room.

Research tells us that nature supports emotional well-being and calms the nervous system. But sometimes we do not need research to tell us what our bodies already know. Sometimes we simply feel it. The slowing down. The breathing space. The sense of calm that arrives after a walk. The feeling of perspective returning.

Maybe that is what I value most about working at Syon Park. It reminds me that healing does not only happen during the session. It also happens in the spaces around it: in nature, in the community, in creativity, and in connection. It is in the smile from a familiar face, the nod from someone who recognises you, and the feeling that, for a moment, you do not need to be anyone but yourself. Sometimes the most therapeutic thing is not a technique, a worksheet, or an intervention.

Sometimes it is simply belonging.

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY

Within the same walls and the same grounds, there are people whose work I admire deeply. I am glad to share a little of their story here.

Dr Emily Ventre · Clinical Psychologist

Emily Ventre DClinPsy is a Clinical Psychologist based at The Stables, Syon Park, and also offers online sessions. With over 12 years of experience across NHS, local authority, and charity settings, Emily works with adults, teenagers, and children using an integrative approach grounded in compassion-focused and trauma- and attachment-informed practice. She has particular experience supporting neurodivergent clients, helping people understand themselves and navigate life with greater clarity and self-compassion.

Emily is passionate about helping people understand their distress as a meaningful response to their experiences and about finding the approaches that work for each individual. She is also a mother of two and brings particular warmth to supporting parents navigating the complex emotions of that life stage.

emilyventrepsychology.co.uk · The Stables, Syon Park, Brentford TW8 8JF

Janette Rodney Welsh · Couture Designer

A visionary creative with over 40 years of experience across all areas of the fashion industry, Janette has dedicated the last 3.5 years to developing her own brand, Janette Rodney Welsh. At

Its heart lies in Janette Rodney Couture House a showcase of her extraordinary range of skills. Whether tailoring, dressmaking, bridal, red carpet, theatre, ballet, or interior design, from first design to final completion, you are in the hands of a consummate professional. As a dyslexic creative, Janette brings a distinctive way of seeing and making a reminder that neurodivergence and mastery are not in tension with one another. They never were.

janetrodneywelsh.com · @janetrodneywelsh · The Stables, Syon Park, Brentford TW8 8JF

Tahirah Yasin – TY Khan International & Neuro Directory

Tahirah is an accredited psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and founder of TYKhan International and The Neuro Directory.

Based at Syon Park, she specialises in trauma, neurodivergence and culturally informed therapy, while also delivering training, consultancy and community projects that improve access to neuroaffirming support.

Her work extends beyond one-to-one therapy through training, consultancy, community projects and The Neuro Directory, connecting neurodivergent individuals with trusted professionals and support across the UK.

TYKhan.co.uk · [email protected] · theneurodirectory.co.uk · [email protected]

MAKE A DAY OF IT AT SYON PARK

Whether you’re visiting one of the professionals featured in this newsletter or simply enjoying the estate, there’s plenty to see and do.

🚗 Free Parking

Large free car park with 14 InstaVolt ultra-rapid EV chargers.

🌸 Hillier Garden Centre

Browse beautiful plants, gifts, homeware and seasonal displays, then enjoy a coffee or light lunch at the Clocktower Café.

🍽 Eat & Stay

The Courtyard Restaurant overlooks the Great Conservatory, while the Hilton London Syon Park offers stylish dining, afternoon tea, luxury accommodation and a spa.

🌿 Explore

Take a stroll through 200 acres of historic parkland, beautiful gardens and the iconic Great Conservatory before or after your appointment.

♿ Accessibility

Accessible parking and step-free access are available across much of the estate. Please note some historic areas and pathways may be uneven.

📍 Syon Park

Park Road, Isleworth, TW7 6AZ

Home

Perfect for a wellbeing visit, a relaxing afternoon or even a weekend escape.