He sits down and looks at you dolefully, his big eyes full of hurt and desperation. “I don’t know why she cheated on me,” he whispers hoarsely, “but this is the worst hurt I have ever felt. I don’t know how I will cope, or what it means for our kids. I guess my marriage […]
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Assessing Therapist-client Fit
Please consider these two scenarios for a moment. Scenario 1. The new client comes in and makes solid eye contact as she seats herself. You feel a surge of warmth toward her and are immediately interested. As the session progresses, you notice she is similar to you in certain unusual ways, and her passing remarks […]
- December 3, 2019
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- Counselling Dilemmas, Counselling Theory & Process, Ethics & Legal Issues
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The Psychology of Bragging
You are asked at the cocktail party what you do. “Well,” you respond with enthusiasm, “I’m so excited right now. I just graduated with my degree in hospitality.” “Oh, a future barista,” says the other guest, swirling his drink. “I guess we can’t all get Ph.D.’s in science like I did.” You run into a […]
- November 14, 2019
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- Addictions, Relationship & Families
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Counselling Courses: Choosing The Right Counselling Course
Counselling is one of the fastest growing occupations in Australia. According to the Australian government job site Job Outlook (1), the counselling profession is expected to grow by 18%; with around 22,000 job openings (4,400 per year for 5 years). This growth is driven largely by increasing consumer need. The statistics on the mental health […]
- October 21, 2019
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- Career Development
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Detecting the Deception
Counsellor to client mandated to come to counselling after an alleged domestic violence incident: “So, did you hit your wife?” Client: (Squirming in chair). “I love my wife. Do you think I would give a black eye to the woman I love? What happened was that there was this jar of honey that couldn’t be […]
- October 21, 2019
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- 4039
- Addictions, Counselling Theory & Process, Relationship & Families
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Dealing with Deception in Counselling
“You should always believe your clients,” said the counselling-training professor to the trainees, “and you should always disbelieve them” It’s possible that that advice — confusing and impossible as it seems to be — is useful not only for therapists listening to clients, but to any of us listening to a fellow human being. Even […]
- October 10, 2019
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- 16217
- Addictions, Relationship & Families, Wellness
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Lying: Life Skill or Lousy Habit?
Johnny sings a song to his mum and asks her how well she thought he sang. In reality, Mum likens Johnny’s voice to, as Simon Cowell once said of a talent show participant, “the sound a cat makes after it falls off the roof before it hits the ground”. Does Mum say this to Johnny, […]
- September 30, 2019
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- Addictions, Relationship & Families
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The Rise and Rise of the Selfie
Do any of these statements apply to you? How about to anyone you know, including any clients? “I gain enormous attention by sharing my selfies on social media.” “Taking different selfie poses helps increase my social status.” “Taking more selfies improves my mood and makes me feel happy.” “I become a strong member of my […]
- September 17, 2019
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- Addictions, Children & Adolescents, Technology & Social Media
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Hope, Heroes and Counselling
On January 15, 2009, Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a bird strike. All 155 people on board survived. While some of that successful outcome was later attributed to good fortune, much commendation rightly went to […]
- July 25, 2019
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- Creativity in Counselling, Spirituality & Religion
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Counselling: From Resistance to Acceptance
Your 39-year-old female client seats herself and looks at you with frustration. It’s been many months now since she was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative condition, but she just can’t accept it; life is becoming impossible. Your 20-something male client suffered a relational breakup seven months ago; this was his “love of my life” and he […]
- July 12, 2019
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- Loss & Grief, Relationship & Families, Spirituality & Religion
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Manipulation: Recognising and Responding to It
You know the feeling. The person seems to be making a reasonable request, or advising you to do something “for your own good”, but inside your guts are completely churned up! What’s going on? The chances are that you are experiencing an attempt to manipulate you. Sadly, manipulation is rife in the real world and […]
- June 28, 2019
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- Relationship & Families, Stress Management, Wellness
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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 […]
- June 20, 2019
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- 5008
- Ageing Issues, Clinical Mental Health, Diagnosis & Treatment, Disability Issues, Uncategorized
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Why Counsellors Need Mental Health Therapy
Have you ever sat in session, listening to your client explain why they were angsty over some issue, only to find that you experienced a rising panic and sense of helplessness — because you, too, were dealing with the same issue? Have you ever finished a session with a deeply depressed client, only to find […]
- May 14, 2019
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- 18362
- Counselling Theory & Process, Personal Effectiveness, Private Practice, Stress Management
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Expectations and Goals in Clinical Supervision
What are your expectations about what will happen in your clinical supervision, and what you will get from it? Are you able to identify your greatest needs to meet in the process? How do you name the short-, medium-, and long-range goals that you will attempt to achieve in supervision? These questions are important to […]
- April 24, 2019
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- Private Practice, Supervision
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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, […]
- March 18, 2019
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- Children & Adolescents, Clinical Mental Health, Self-harming & Suicide, Technology & Social Media
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