2011

Psychosocial Treatments for Schizophrenia

Successful treatment of schizophrenia depends on a regimen of both drug and psychosocial support therapies. While antipsychotic medication can help control the symptoms of psychosis associated with schizophrenia, it cannot help the person find and maintain a job, establish effective social relationships, increase their coping skills, or teach them to communicate well with others. Poverty, […]

Graduate Story: Herb Koenitz

AIPC Graduate Herb Koenitz shares his story… “After 35 years in Corporate Life as a senior executive, I retired at age 55. After doing all the usual things such as travelling overseas and downsizing, I embarked on a period of study. I chose to do a Diploma course in Professional Counselling with the Australian Institute […]

Graduate Story: Lorne Ferster

AIPC Graduate Lorne Ferster shares his story… “Approximately 25 years ago, my life took a turn which led me down a road of marriage breakdown, loss of family, and much heartache. It also took down a new road of growth and learning about me, and what life was really all about. My journey led me […]

Graduate Story: Jane Johnson

AIPC Graduate Jane Johnson shares her story… “Four years ago I sat in a holiday unit staring at a selection of tablets that I, with a solid background in healthcare, was certain would take away all pain, permanently. I remember staring at the telephone in the room for an hour. Even now I do not […]

Communication Problems with Couples

Looking for maladaptive communication patterns is a common form of assessment that therapists use (Long & Young, 2007). Based on John Gottman’s theory popularly known as the “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse”, the following subheadings are common communication problems that most couples experience or participate in. They include; criticism and complaint, defensiveness, contempt, and stone […]

Play Therapy Activities to Engage Children

In play therapy, children are encouraged to express, through play, all the things they may have difficulty saying or contextualising into words. As a consequence of this primary focus, play therapy has expanded to include most of the expressive art forms including drawing, painting, sculpturing, music, dance, drama, movement, poetry, and storytelling. So while the […]

School Bullying: Quick Facts and Information

There is no universal accepted definition of bullying. Olweus (1993) defines bullying as repeated, aggressive behaviour involving a power imbalance between the bully (perpetrator) and the intended bully victim (Olweus and Limber, 2010). Rigby (2010) defines bullying as a systematic and repeated abuse of power and identifies three aspects to bullying: 1) a desire to […]

Graduate Story: Jodi-Anne Smith

AIPC Graduate Jodi-Anne Smith shares her story… “My name is Jodi-Anne. I am a 2009 graduate of the AIPC Diploma of Professional Counselling. It took me a lot longer to complete the Diploma than normal as I stopped and started my study several times. I followed my intuition and read in greater depth in the […]

Counselling Dilemma: A Teenager at Risk of Suicide

Chantelle is 14 and in foster care. Chantelle was removed from her parents’ care at the age of seven and has since had several foster placements. Her last care arrangement ended, one month ago, when her foster family relocated interstate. Child protection workers have found a new foster placement for Chantelle and you have been […]