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Clinical Mental Health

Understanding Mental Health

Mental health can be defined as a wellbeing state whereby individuals realise their own potential. They could also cope with the common stresses of life and able to work in a fruitful and productive manner while contributing to their community in positive manner (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d., as cited in Queensland Health, 2017). It […]

Nature’s Effect on our Mental Health

If you’ve ever been stressed, anxious, or just feeling a little blue, you know that it can be tough to find the motivation to get out of the house and into nature. But check this out: several studies have found that being in nature for even short periods of time can have a positive effect […]

Self-Awareness, Emotional Regulation and Empathy

How accurately can you predict how you come across? Are you good at picking up how you are feeling and how this affects those around you? How well do you consciously know and understand yourself including your feelings, wants, goals, desires and motivations? Self-awareness is paramount to Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Emotional Regulation (ER) and […]

Integrating Your Counselling

Integrated therapy Many experienced counsellors (if not all) don’t use any one single modality of therapy in their counselling but rather use a combination of approaches, techniques and ideas taken from numerous different disciplines. One of the key observations in ‘Effective Psychotherapists’ (Miller and Moyers, 2012) is that, alongside modality, rapport is what produces effective […]

Schema Therapy in Counselling

Unlike other therapeutic approaches that may primarily target surface-level symptoms, Schema Therapy delves into the root causes of emotional and psychological difficulties. It emphasises understanding the origins of maladaptive schemas, often rooted in unmet core emotional needs and early negative experiences. The therapy aims to foster a therapeutic relationship that provides the emotional support and […]

Incorporating Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) into your Counselling

REBT was developed by American psychologist Albert Ellis in the 1950’s and although it is clearly a close relative of CBT, was developed prior to the most popular form of therapy delivered today. It is in fact the first cognitive behaviour therapy developed. Ellis’s theory suggests that humans have both rational (constructive, meaningful, socially promoting) […]

Theories of Grief and the Grieving Process

Grief theories provide a conceptual base for understanding grief and loss as a process involving many common characteristics and phases. A general understanding of these will help you understand and anticipate the process that people may go through. This will help you to identify and normalise reactions to loss, and to identify where further help […]

Grounding for anxiety: evidence based practice and practice-based evidence

Clients can, and often do, present for counselling in a mildly, or even highly anxious state and counsellors frequently use ‘grounding techniques’ for the alleviation of both acute and chronic anxiety. Here, we explore the techniques seen as most effective from an evidence-based point of view but additionally consider the thoughts of counsellors in practice […]

How does being a counsellor affect your mental health?

Compassion Fatigue (CF), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and Vicarious Trauma (VT) have all been highlighted in the research literature as risks for counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (Sutton, et al, 2022). In the current post-pandemic era, burnout amongst mental health workers is a subject more prevalent than ever and subsequently has been studied […]

An Introduction to Case Management

Many clients who access counselling have multiple services assisting them with their ongoing living, health, and social needs. In some cases, clients are supported by a case manager (or a case management service) who coordinates these services to make sure that clients’ needs and goals are met in an efficient and effective manner (Summers, 2016).

Understanding Mental Health

Mental health can be defined as a wellbeing state whereby individuals realise their own potential. They could also cope with the common stresses of life and able to work in a fruitful and productive manner while contributing to their community in positive manner (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d., as cited in Queensland Health, 2017). It […]

Bushfire Crisis: Resources for Mental Health Professionals

The Australian bushfire crisis has impacted millions, putting individuals, families and entire communities at higher risk of trauma and psychological/emotional distress. In response, many mental health professionals across the country are putting their hands up to assist those impacted by the disaster. To support their efforts, Mental Health Academy created a collection of freely accessible educational resources […]

Talking Dementia: Causes and Prevention

Dementia Australia estimates that in 2019 there are 447,115 Australians living with dementia, a number expected to rise to nearly 600,000 by 2028 and over a million by 2058. Currently in Australia, 250 people join the population with dementia every day. There are about 5.4 million Americans with it (Godman, 2016; Mercola, 2017) and the […]

Digital Self-harm and Adolescent Angst

“U R ugly, fat, and stupid.” “The world is too good a place for U – ur pathetic.” “Why don’t you just kill ur self and make us all happier?” These hurtful, horrible messages and many others like them are well-known to kids and teens who have been cyberbullied. Parents, teachers, counsellors, and school authorities, […]