My approach to coping skills for emotional pain
Working with thoughts, emotions, behaviours and sensations of the body, (TEBS), is the approach I use in therapy. The client is encouraged to identify how thoughts drive our emotions and physical sensations.
To reduce or learn to live with our emotional stress is done by practicing alternative positive thoughts. These thoughts have to be supported by associated behaviours.
Therapy Story Time
Identifying the negatives in your life story that have led to the problems you experience today is a key part of Narative Therapy. This model of therapy encourages clients to creativley set a new course for the direction of their life.
Counselling: How it Begins
A walk through how James starts and maintains a counselling relationship with a client.
The work of counselling from the first query to the final steps of finishing.
Prevail’s approach to the porn debate
Porn is a pervasive part of our society. That said, it rarely comes up in the counselling room. That reflects how accepted it is in our culture. But still, the debate exists as to whether it suits you.
Some argue that porn is destructive for genuine sexual relationships and that it isolates people. Others say that porn plays a productive part in their relationships and helps educate them about the practicalities of sex.
Perhaps the context for discussing porn is not about physical enjoyment but the actual purpose and nature of sexual relationships in the first place.
Counselling when you are a person of few words
A reason some people stay way from counselling is because they are intimidated and believe they would not know what to talk about.
This can be overcome as a trusting relationship is built up between her and the therapist. Usually after 2 or 3 sessions the client is comfortable enough to engage therapeuticaly with counselling.
Suicide: Can Counselling help?
How therapy can help a suicidal person. First assessment of risk. Help the client identify reasons to live. Developing long term skills in wanting to stay alive. Four therapeutic approaches that maybe used are highlighted.
Anxiety; Where fear takes over
Anxiety is one of the most common topics raised in therapy. It is a debilitating condition that prevents a person from engaging with life. It is closely associated with depression and often co-exist.
There is a strong medical connection with anxiety, therfore medication is often a first stage of treatment. Medication however can become a near permanent part of persons life. Many people do not want this and will prefer to resolve their anxiety through psychological work. Such work identifies the triggers and helps to delope coping mechanisims to lessen their impact.
Counselling and the issue of money
Counselling fees may seem to be an awkward necessity. Awkward because the client may be operating within a strict budget. The counsellor aspires to provide therapy to those who need it while ensuring they make a living.
This blog goes through the principles around setting counselling fees and how to manage them. The fee structure of Prevail is also introduced.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is a combination of two psychological theories. Cognitive and Behavioural theories. CBT proposes that emotional change happens by changing the underlying thoughts that support them. To effectively change our thoughts, we utilise the behaviours that correlate with them.
This approach can be a trial and error, and is greatly helped by having a good understanding of your underlying beliefs that caused the thought to start with.
Good Will Hunting
A discussion of how the film Good Will Hunting represents the work of counseeling. How does it effect your motivation to consider counselling for yourself?
Does Good Will Hunting present a positive or negative view of how counselling works?