Recent negative press coverage surrounding the practice of psychotherapy, notably widespread criticisms following the publication of Spare, Prince Harry’s personal memoir, has offered critics of therapy some useful ammunition to undermine the role of the profession and of how having therapy can seemingly go wrong. Harry is seen as a poor advert for therapy, given […]
Ah yes. It’s dry January. And here’s another annoying post about quitting alcohol, right? Sobriety, after all, is now viewed as having an air of cool, just like clean eating and veganism, such is the plethora of newly emerged ‘sober coaches’ and the like, intent on sharing their new found wisdom and enthusiasm for a
Financial trauma is characterised as a dysfunctional reaction to chronic financial worries and stress. When we think of trauma we tend to understand it as something that is caused by a singular traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, a personal assault, or a road accident. The same can also be applied to individual trauma surrounding money. This could involve
As the song goes, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. There can be a magical sensation for some associated with a blanket of snow that can appear to make people feel happy, particularly approaching the festive time of year. So, is there any science behind an uplift in mood brought about by
Motivational interviewing (MI) is not a modality in itself but can be a very useful add-on when practicing integratively in counselling and psychotherapy. It emerged as a collaborative approach to promoting client change in substance abuse treatment centres from the 1980s. Miller & Rollnick, (2002) explain that it came about essentially as an alternative to
In a post pandemic world it can sometimes feel like there is no shortage of social opportunities for a night out, whether that is a celebration event or a weekend opportunity to party. However, over-indulging in alcohol or drugs on a night out can present many risks and hazards. You are at greater risk of
Some of the biggest assumptions in the therapy world can be misplaced. One is that there will be more effective therapy, if practitioners personally identify with the presenting issues, or mirror the profile of the person they are seeing. Self-disclosure, whether on the basis of lifestyle choices, sexual orientation or past lived experiences, is often
Anxiety, perhaps closely followed more recently by the word ‘trauma’, are words that can be commonly overused in counselling and psychotherapy circles. Anxiety is a term that is even more dominant in mental health settings when you look at the news. For example, the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent volunteer panel of experts
Sometimes I wonder if there are increasing levels of anxiety around in a post pandemic social environment. Perhaps we got more accustomed to managing our environment when there were lockdowns and less people about in the course of everyday life. We might have become more relaxed working from home and perhaps felt more autonomous when
By embracing deliberate practice you could be able to apply key concepts in outcomes measurement to an understanding of your own personal performance in your practice, as well as develop your own personal learning project to boost effectiveness in your role as a therapist. You could apply the concept of deliberate practice to better navigate