Today is A-level results day. As a counsellor who works with teenagers, I see what really happens beneath the surface of this day: grades quietly fusing with self-worth, results-day comparison on social media, and reactions that range from relief to a genuine sense of loss. This piece looks at A-level results day anxiety from a counsellor's perspective, and what actually helps teenagers and their families through today and the days that follow.

England has just had one of its driest spells in years — heat, water shortages, wildfires, and it's happening elsewhere too. If that's left you with a low, unsettled dread, there's a name for it: eco-anxiety. Research since 2007 treats it as a rational response, not a disorder, and studies suggest coping with eco-anxiety works best by facing the feeling rather than pushing it away — connecting with others, taking small consistent action, and knowing when to ask for support.

Andy Burnham became PM the same week my professional body called for counselling to be treated as core NHS infrastructure. This isn't about politics — it's about a harder truth: GPs aren't the problem, and short-term therapy genuinely helps many people. But even the community charities built to offer something longer-term are being squeezed into the same brief model, leaving people with deep-seated, longstanding issues fewer places to turn.