Desert PsychologyMarleen Laubscher · Clinical PsychologistMake an enquiryDesert Psychology · Articles
Psychology, translated with care.
Writing that makes room for context, complexity and the very human reasons behind the ways people cope.
The journal
A growing collection of ideas to sit with.
Begin wherever something feels familiar. Each article offers a grounded way to understand an experience, with links that make it easy to follow related ideas at your own pace.
Adult ADHD: When It Doesn’t Look Like What You Expected
ADHD can show up as everyday overwhelm, difficulty starting tasks, internal restlessness and years of hidden effort. A closer look at adult ADHD, including why it can be missed in women.
6 minute readRead article Emotions · RegulationEmotional Regulation Is Not Emotional Control: How to Work With Feelings Without Silencing Them
Emotional regulation is often mistaken for staying calm, thinking positively, or making difficult feelings disappear. In reality, it involves noticing and understanding an emotional response, making room for it, and choosing what to do next in a way that fits the situation, your values, and your available capacity.
17 minute readRead article Therapy · Relational perspectiveWhat Is Therapy, and What Can It Help With?
Therapy is more than advice or a place to talk when life has reached breaking point. It is a collaborative space for understanding what you are carrying, how your patterns developed, and what might help you relate to yourself, other people, and difficult experiences in a different way.
10 minute readRead article Capacity · OverwhelmCapacity: Why What You Can Do Is Not Always What You Can Carry
You can be fully capable of doing something and still not have the capacity for it today. Understanding capacity helps explain why functioning changes, why small demands can sometimes feel disproportionately difficult, and how to respond before strain becomes chronic overwhelm or depletion.
14 minute readRead article Nervous system · RegulationUnderstanding Your Nervous System: Why Your Body Responds Before You Can Think
Sometimes your heart begins racing, your body goes tense, or your mind goes blank before you have fully understood what is happening. Learning about the nervous system can help you make sense of these responses, recognise what your system may need, and move from self-criticism towards more useful forms of support.
14 minute readRead article Self-care · CapacityRethinking Self-Care: What Caring for Yourself Actually Means
Self-care is often presented as a list of healthy habits, relaxing activities, or occasional treats. A more useful understanding begins with noticing what is happening, recognising what may be needed, and choosing a form of care that fits your real circumstances and the capacity you have available.
19 minute readRead article Relationships · BoundariesBoundaries Are Relational: Why Setting Them Is More Than Learning to Say No
Boundaries are often reduced to saying no, protecting your peace, or cutting off people who do not respect your limits. In real relationships, they are more complex. Boundaries help clarify what is yours, what is shared, how you are willing to participate, and what connection requires if it is to remain safe and sustainable.
18 minute readRead article Burnout · CapacityBurnout Is More Than Tiredness: What Happens When Demand Keeps Exceeding Capacity
Burnout is not simply tiredness, poor resilience, or a failure to practise enough self-care. It develops when workplace demands remain high while resources, support, control, and opportunities for recovery are repeatedly insufficient. Understanding that imbalance can help us respond to burnout with greater accuracy and less self-blame.
19 minute readRead article Foundational note · Relational therapyWhat does it mean to work relationally?
Why therapy may look beyond symptoms and pay attention to history, protection, connection and what happens between people.
Short readRead article