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Stress Prevention Tips

“It is better to intervene than remediate” Preventing stress is the best remedy to reduce the effects of stress in daily life, and its potential (and negative) consequences. There are three broad areas which comprise many strategies of stress prevention, particularly in the workplace. Such areas involve making decisions, avoiding procrastination and delegation. Make Decisions […]

An Insight into the Solution

This case history details a significant time in the life of the Smith-Curtis* family. This family did not come to counselling voluntarily, but were referred by the Department of Families after substantiated allegations of abuse and neglect of their two children. The counselling agency, (a non-government service provider), is experienced in working with involuntary clients […]

Graduate Story: Davina Gleeson

AIPC Graduate Davina Gleeson shares her story… I never thought I’d be writing my own success story, just like the one’s I read at the beginning of my studies. About halfway through the Diploma we were living on a remote island and experienced a traumatic house fire that destroyed ninety percent of our possessions; photo’s, […]

How to Manage Stress

How do we cope with stress? There are literally thousands of books, articles and websites that cover stress and stress management. However, the ancient and natural ways are probably still the best ways towards peace and serenity. The old adage, ‘prevention is better than cure’ is certainly true for stress management. Here are some tips […]

Stress in Stages

Earlier in this series we’ve defined several types of stress which originate from similarly related events or stressors. Likewise, there are varied overlapping stages which constitute what we call stress. In a nutshell, the stages of stress denote the responses to the various stressful events an individual may undergo, and the accumulative effect of such […]

A Cycle of Dysfunctional Parenting and Unsatisfactory Child Development

[NB All names have been changed] Beatrice is a 40-year-old married mother of four children; she married young and over time she and her husband separated on three occasions. Her husband previously subjected her to both psychological and physical abuse. As a child she lost her mother to suicide leaving her to be raised by […]

Types of Stress

One of the reasons why people have a hard time ending stress is that they are not addressing the core issues within their lives. Following are six categories of stress. They are categorised so that you may first know the issue and the cause of the problem to find the solution. Work/Study Related Stress The […]

Graduate Story: Janet Maguire

AIPC Graduate Janet Maguire shares her story… “For many years I have worked in various administration jobs, I had not undertaken any formal study since leaving school and I had a strong desire to work in the Human Services Area. I commenced my Diploma Course with AIPC in 2001. Initially I studied part-time, due to […]

Fundamentals of Stress

Do you know what happens to your body in a stressful situation? Although the incidence of stress in people’s lives is vastly dictated by automated body responses, there is no doubt that part of it is a result of our interpretation and other ‘conscious’ mechanisms. Thus, there is a factor of decision-making and learning involved. […]

Series: Coping with Stress

“I can’t cope anymore!” “This is too much – I’ve had it!” Is this what you are feeling right now? Comments such as these are common every day occurrences in our busy lives – and we call it STRESS. Not that long ago, the terms ‘worry’, ‘anxiety’, ‘fear’, ‘impatience’, and ‘anger’ gave way to what […]

A Case of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Marna attended counselling to try to do “something” with her memories of child abuse that currently seem to be affecting her life. She attended twelve appointments over a six-month period. In this scenario, the professional counsellor uses an eclectic approach incorporating Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Abuse Literature Approaches. For ease of writing, the […]