Rothschild, B. (2006). Help for the helper. The psychophysiology of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. New York. W. W. Norton & Company. Burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are risks that, as therapist we are aware of however whilst many of us have a toolbox full of techniques to assist our clients, we often fall […]
Sign up for your FREE e-newsletter
You’ll regularly recieve powerful strategies for personal development, tips to improve the growth of your counselling practice, the latest industry news and much more.
We’ll keep your information private and never sell, rent, trade or share it with any other organisation. And you can cancel anytime.
Wellness
Happiness, Positive Psychology and Wellbeing
The concept of happiness is the corner stone of the assumptions of positive psychology. Happiness is characterised by the experience of more frequent positive affective states than negative ones as well as a perception that one is progressing toward important life goals (Tkach & Lyubomirsky, 2006). Identifying factors that contribute to happiness has proven to […]
- August 30, 2010
- 9
- 143857
- Counselling Therapies, Wellness
- Read More
Anxiety and Performance
Anxiety is most often considered a problem if it occurs when there is no real threat or when the anxiety response is disproportionate to the threat being faced. However, when there is a real situation or stressor to deal with, the anxiety level might actually be appropriate. Appropriate levels of anxiety activate the organism to […]
- August 5, 2010
- 1
- 15785
- Clinical Mental Health, Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
7 Ways to Improve Intimacy in Your Relationship
Good relationships don’t just happen. Many people have the attitude that, “If I have to work at it, then it can’t be the right relationship.” This is not a true statement, any more than it’s true that you don’t have to work at good physical health through exercise, eating well, and stress reduction. There are […]
- July 7, 2010
- 0
- 6361
- Relationship & Families, Wellness
- Read More
Basic Principles of Time Management
Struggling to find time in your daily life? Consider the following proven time management principles and techniques. The 80/20 rule The 80/20 principle is also known as the Pareto principle. It is based on the ideas of an Italian economist called Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto was a French–Italian economist and philosopher who lived between 1848 and […]
- April 6, 2010
- 0
- 10576
- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Relaxation Strategies for Counsellors
It is important to be aware of the way in which stress may be impacting on you and your counselling work. Which aspects of you are more susceptible to the influence of stress? Relaxation strategies “What do you find relaxing? Is it dancing, art, meditation, fishing, going for a walk with friends, reading a book, […]
- October 26, 2009
- 0
- 5305
- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Humour Makes Life Easier
Humour can be a powerful and effective mechanism for coping with stress, especially when combined with other means of stress reduction. The real power of humour and laughter shows up when you learn to use it in stressful situations. It keeps things in perspective, helps dispel negative emotions, and puts you in a frame of […]
- August 4, 2009
- 2
- 17413
- Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Time Management and Goal Setting
Allen (2001) explains that the essence of time management is completing decisions and determining action steps about the things that capture our psychological and physical space. To cope with everyday demands, Allen has suggested a processing sequence of work and tasks: Collect all situations, projects and tasks that need to be done, including those that […]
- May 26, 2009
- 1
- 9381
- Personal Effectiveness, Private Practice, Wellness
- Read More
What is Assertiveness?
Assertiveness is the ability to express one’s feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs directly, openly and honestly, assert one’s rights whilst respecting the feelings and rights of another (Lloyd, 1998). Non-assertive individuals may be passive, aggressive or passive-aggressive. Passive clients appear to be unconcerned with their own rights and are more likely to allow others to […]
- March 31, 2008
- 2
- 15188
- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Losing a Loved One: Helpful Tips and Rituals
So far (read previous posts here) we have identified some specific reactions to your loss, secondary and prior losses and looked at various feelings which are individual to you at this time. Don’t expect these feelings to disappear overnight. Below are some helpful tips that you might like to consider: Look after yourself. You may […]
- March 11, 2008
- 0
- 3051
- Loss & Grief, Relationship & Families, Wellness
- Read More
Coping Effectively with Change: Leisha’s Case Study
Leisha is a 17 year old girl who has a young infant daughter Tippa aged 15 months. Her partner left the relationship before Leisha had the baby and hasn’t been seen or heard of since. Leisha lives at home with her parents. Initially Leisha was very scared about having a baby, and although she went […]
- February 6, 2008
- 0
- 3500
- Children & Adolescents, Lifespan Development, Personal Effectiveness, Wellness
- Read More
Effective Options to Cope with Change
Experience and the literature inform us that transitions or changes in life are inevitable and you can fight them, flee from them or preferably accept that you need to prepare for and adapt to the changes in some way. Having confidence in being able to plan for and adapt to change, by having skills and […]
- February 5, 2008
- 1
- 3424
- Lifespan Development, Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Ineffective Options to Cope with Change
It is a bit difficult to define ineffective options simply because it is easier to describe those situations where people have ineffective options to react to change. Nonetheless some ineffective options may include: Denying that a change is occurring; Not being aware of one’s environment – of change that is emerging over time; Not planning […]
- February 4, 2008
- 1
- 2964
- Lifespan Development, Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More
Positive Aspects of Change
People often avoid change; opting for predictability and control, rather than the more stoic, flowing style of embracing life’s challenges. But life is a dynamic balance of negatives and positives, and focusing on the positive aspects of change can be the difference between growing under duress and thriving in any environment, or experiencing continuing stress […]
- January 24, 2008
- 1
- 92279
- Lifespan Development, Personal Effectiveness, Wellness
- Read More
Anger Management Strategy: Relaxation
The body tends to respond in an innate flight or fight response when faced with an anger-provoking situation. That means that reactions within your body call you to ask yourself whether you should leave the situation (flight) or use your newly produced adrenalin and cortisones to get through (fight). The body often responds to anger […]
- January 16, 2008
- 2
- 4583
- Stress Management, Wellness
- Read More