About Breaking the Rules
Breaking The Rules is an innovative project run by Counselling Psychologist Dr Natalie Chambers and Nutritional Therapist marissa-catherine carrarini, who passionately believe that unhelpful, rule-based thinking relating to health, exercise and wellbeing stops us connecting to what we need and who we are.
We are both independent practitioners who have come together to create an important collaboration - challenging rule-based behaviour that causes conflict and difficulty in people’s lives.
What is an ‘unhelpful rule’?
At Breaking the Rules we define ‘unhelpful rules’ as ideas or thought processes that do not serve you well, often in spite of seeming kind, considered or well-informed.
Unhelpful rules are commonly expressed as “shoulds” or “oughts”. Or as absolutes such as “always” or “never”.
Unhelpful rules are rigid and restrictive, leaving us feeling guilty, ashamed and anxious, thinking less of ourselves if we don't obey them!
“Before the sessions I don’t think I realised how much my relationship with food and weight impacted my day to day life. Although I knew how much I thought about my weight, I didn’t quite understand how much of my behaviour was based on unhelpful rules and how this added to my anxiety. I became more aware each week of the unhelpful rules I was following. I am now much better at recognising these and ‘calling them out’. I am also getting better at trying to trust myself and trying to be more compassionate to myself.”
About marissa-catherine carrarini
marissa is a Nutritional Therapist, mostly working with clients in recovery from disordered eating issues, issues around addiction and with their mental wellbeing. She is drawn to this work for many reasons, not least her deeply held feminist beliefs around supporting women to be their whole, vital and multiple selves against a constant storm of oppression.
About Dr Natalie Chambers
Natalie is a Counselling Psychologist who has been working in mental health for more than 20 years. Central to almost all her clinical work is the vital role of self worth. She is passionate about supporting people to improve the relationship they have with themselves and find steadiness in self acceptance.