The meaning of the word “depression” varies widely. Some people may say they are depressed when they have a bad day, but the mood passes by the next day; this situation would not be classed as depression in a clinical sense. For others, though, feeling unhappy, “down”, or “low” may persist for weeks, months, or even years, and other symptoms may develop along with it. »
How can you best offer support to someone who is bereaved by suicide? What attitudes, translated into caring actions, can best facilitate the bereaved person’s coping in the immediate and short term, and their healing in the longer term? Because of the remaining societal stigma and also the lack of knowledge about how to be with the suicide-bereaved in a sensitive way, many friends and even family members simply avoid the situation – including the bereaved person – altogether. So how can you help? What is your best role as support person? Below is a guide to clarify what you can do to help the suicide-bereaved. »
If the family is society’s “fundamental unit”, what are some of the emergent trends and statistical truths about the unit in these times of accelerated change? If one of our goals, as counsellors, is to assist families in the crisis of transition, we must understand the changes and concomitant stressors that accompany the new forms. In this article, we look at some trends and statistics of the “contemporary family”. »
Treatments (or interventions) for depression fall into one of three categories, and often several are recommended to be taken up at once. These main groupings are: medical interventions; psychological interventions and; lifestyle interventions »
Wendy is a 54 year old woman who has two adult children and has been married for twenty-nine years. Her husband, Steve, has recently and unexpectedly informed her that he no longer loves her and that he wants a divorce. Wendy was shocked to hear this...
Jenny has come to counselling due to strong feelings of dissatisfaction with her life. She is 48 years old, un...
Marian, a psychologist who specialised in anxiety disorders, closed the file and put it into the filing cabine...
Imagine this scenario: you are keen to get a particular job and an opportunity for it comes up. You prepare meticulously for the interview, but somehow, it doesn’t go well. The interviewers don’t seem to warm to you, and you know in your heart that y...
If you are supporting a family in transition, you may perceive huge differences between them and the character...
In our previous article (read it here), we asked why men do not seem to express emotion as easily as women do. Was there some pathology, or should we just put the differences down to male-female tendencies? We identified Dr Ron Levant’s notion of “no...
She sends him little “I love you” texts during the day, and wonders why he doesn’t even whisper the three magi...
Imagine this scenario: you are keen to get a particular job and an opportunity for it comes up. You prepare me...
Imagine this scenario: you are keen to get a particular job and an opportunity for it comes up. You prepare meticulously for the interview, but somehow, it doesn’t go well. The interviewers don’t seem to warm to you, and you know in your heart that y...
Your fitness tracker reminds you to walk away from your computer every hour to get needed movement – and then ...
95% of us procrastinate (Steel, 2010) – accruing negative consequences – despite having recognised for 500 yea...
You’ll regularly receive powerful strategies for personal development, tips to improve the growth of your counselling practice, the latest industry news, and much more.
