At The Practice Rooms, we talk about emotional health, not mental health – and for us, it’s a really important distinction. Here’s why.
“Emotional health aligns with love and unity, nurturing our ability to love and be loved—the ultimate path to healing and peace.”
Pablo Reina Martinez, an integrative counsellor at Queen Square in Bristol
Etymologically, the word ‘healing’ comes from the Anglo Saxon hælan meaning to cure or make whole. We refer to all the practitioners at The Practice Rooms as working in holistic health, because – whether talking therapy or bodywork – all these modalities make space for us to be considered as a whole self, not just a set of symptoms or a problem to be fixed.
When it comes to mental health, the phrase itself can feel limited to a very literal or tangible sense of the mind or brain, framing mental health as a clinical concept. And centring our perception around it as something isolated to disorder and illness.
“The phrase ‘mental health’ often leans toward intellectual constructs and clinical framing, which can feel alienating,” says Pablo Reina Martinez, an integrative counsellor at Queen Square in Bristol. “By prioritising ‘emotional health’, we honour the integration of mind and heart, avoiding the fragmentation that often accompanies mental health discussions.”
We know that mind and body are inextricably linked, and that the body can talk to us about our emotions, just as much as the mind can. And vice versa. Looking after our emotional health can have a really positive impact on our physical health, and yet, when we are physically depleted, this can impact our mental health in a huge way. So it’s vital that we start talking about or wellbeing in a way that reflects this.
“Language shapes perception. Using emotional-health rather than mental-health engenders a broader and more compassionate understanding of well-being,” says Michelle Devaux Davey, a psychodynamic counsellor and psychotherapist in Cheltenham and Oxford.
When we start to bring emotions into the conversation, we begin to think about our health in a different way, and to see our emotions in a new light. “Emotional health creates a shared, relatable language, reducing stigma and fostering connection. It encourages emotional flow, allowing us to process experiences naturally rather than resisting them,” adds Pablo.
This is vitally important because in opening the door to a discussion of emotional health, we also open up a way of talking about and understanding symptoms that go beyond the physical.
"Words matter, and the shift toward emotional-health may help dissolve stigmas, replacing them with understanding and connection."
Michelle Devaux Davey
“Understanding your emotions is akin to developing a signalling system for your inner self,” says Max Cohen, a counsellor, trainer and group facilitator in Norwich. “It's about recognising emotions as signals that may need interpretation and sometimes taking some action.”
Perhaps, crucially, ‘emotional health’ places emphasis on bringing our feelings into our everyday lives, and learning to work with them, not against them.
“Calling it ‘emotional health’ invites open conversations without fear of judgment,” says Michelle Devaux Davey. “By focusing on emotions, we humanise broader discussions about overall well-being - and remove the suggestion that care is only needed in crisis. This shift is vital in creating environments where seeking support feels as natural as managing physical health.”
As we begin to talk more about our emotions, the language we use to describe them changes as well, and we become more understanding of their importance in our overall wellbeing. For instance, emotions like anger and sadness often carry negative connotations, explains Max Coehn, but they aren't inherently harmful; they can just be more challenging to experience and to find ways to soothe or alleviate. Often though, they are trying to tell us something.
“I find it helpful to refer to an 'emotions wheel',” says Max. “As it helps to initially identify a general feeling or area and then narrows it down into more recognizable or specific emotions. This can be useful in determining whether any action is necessary, such as setting boundaries when someone has overstepped the ones we have set or identifying a pattern that might need adjusting or lines that might need to be established. “
As we begin to understand this on a personal level, there is a wider impact too, that means we can start making changes to our routines and habits, and our environments, communities, workplaces and relationships. “Talking about emotional health reminds us that emotions aren’t isolated in our minds but are shaped by our bodies, environments, and relationships,” says Michelle. “This more holistic framing encourages self-care and acknowledges the systemic factors, like inequality or workplace culture, that impact well-being.”
We are not just the sum of our parts, but rather the relationship between those parts, and crucially, the impact that they have on each other. Focusing on emotional health rather than mental health connects us deeply to our shared human experience.
“Emotional health emphasises the heart’s intelligence, embracing emotions like love, joy, and grief as essential parts of life,” says Pablo Reina Martinez. “This promotes authenticity, self-compassion, and the natural processing of emotions, helping us achieve healing and harmony.”