Robin Williams has passed away today, after what appears to be a tragic suicide. To those only familiar with his on screen comedy antics, this would be hard to believe – the constant positive energy, and barrage of one liners and impromptu impressions of any and everything that came into his wonderful and creative mind. To most of us though, Robin Williams was more of a stereotypical ‘sad clown’ with his constant humour and jokes on screen being contrasted to a more disturbed individual off camera.
Williams certainly had his demons (The Guardian touched on this with a 2010 interview with the actor here) and no doubt the pressures of fame, and the expectation of constantly being whacky and hilarious make this seem like another celebrity death. His tragic end though, should resonate with most of us.
His troubles are things we see and experience everyday in our relationships with others – alcoholism, substance abuse, failed marriages, pressures to impress and project a certain image of yourself. Terms used to describe Williams and his life are terms we associate every day to people – hyperactive, manic, lost, fearful, lonely, troubled. There will be many calls to spare a thought for Robin and his family today, but perhaps we should also take a moment to think about those around us who are troubled by the same issues which faced the Oscar winning actor.
For all the media attention celebrity deaths get, there is just as much of a backlash from people claiming it is undeserved compared to other global issues worthy of such coverage. Sometimes, though, the death of a celebrity can cause dialogue and introspection among everyday people, as the death of Robin Williams surely should. If we can take some time to think about ourselves and those around us, and see the impact that life can have on our mental health and well being, this can be a positive to take from this situation. Robin Williams gave us so much happiness in his eventful life – maybe the story of his death can help us find a little more that’s been missing for some of us. Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that he couldn’t confide in others who may have been able to offer guidance.
Known as the best psychologist around, Wendy’s an obvious choice to be featured on the show’
Cheshire Housewives
As an ex-athlete I’ve always advocated the benefits of keeping in shape physically, but it’s just as important to look after your mental wellbeing. Book a session with Wendy, she’s the person to help you look after your brain just as you would your body.
Graham Bell
5 x Olympic Skier and presenter of BBC Ski Sunday.
Amazing!
Rachel Lugo
Cheshire Housewives
Dare to dream big and Wendy’s THE person to help get you there.
Sam Bailey
X Factor winner with a long list of sell out tour successes under her belt.
The most exciting thing in the world is getting a chance to tear it all up and start again. Keep all the things you want and throw out everything you don’t. Wendy will help you do just that!
Becky Sheeran
Beauty, lifestyle and fashion blogging sensation Becky Sheeran (TalkBeckyTalk)
It’s great to have a leading psychotherapist such as Wendy in the Cheshire area, outside of her Harley Street practice. After publicly raising awareness of mental health issues and myself recovering from depression, I know how immensely life-changing expert intervention can be.
Jason Jarrett
Retired ex-professional football who played for Bury, Wigan, Stoke, Preston, Norwich, Leicester and Brighton during a 14 year career. After leaving professional football, Jason battled depression and recovered with the help of therapy and family support.
Wendy is great at what she does; she made me feel at ease immediately and really helped me work through some issues.
Tara Costello
It’s funny but from the minute I met her I felt so relaxed and she was so easy to talk to. Thank you!
Stevie Brown
Wendy isn’t only really good at what she does, she’s also really easy to talk to.
Gabriel Wilson
I want to thank you Wendy from the bottom of my heart for guiding me through what must have been the most difficult time of my life.
Raza Syed
I was told she was the best and they were right.
Noelle Dray
Although I consider myself a confident person, I was really nervous when I met Wendy for the first time. I had only emailed her before so it was really nerve wracking walking up the stairs to her office. I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I have ever done. Wendy is really normal, no in fact she isn’t normal as she is unfailingly bright and smiley even when she has to listen to me moan on about how awful my life was. It feels like having a chat with somebody who just gets you and you can trust with things you have never trusted anybody else with before. The magic bit comes when things you have talked about just pop up into your head and you start to do things differently. Wendy once joked about not having a magic wand, but I think she has.
Paul Hendry
I came to Wendy with a set of problems I have never been able to fully explain to anyone, which included grief, many family issues and alcohol problems. Wendy truly has an active listening style and absorbs everything you are saying, whilst not making you feel analysed, it is an incredible skill. She astounded me at how she got to the crux of the issues so fast. So much so that we both agreed I only needed one session with her, obviously this may not be the case with everyone but I would confidently recommend her to anyone, regardless of your problems. There was no awkwardness or even clock watching, she is wonderful at what she does, take the plunge and make an appointment, you will not regret it. Life is a direction not a destination and she will get you on the path again.
JB
