Counselling

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 […]

Build Dialectical Behaviour Therapy techniques into your counselling

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic approach combining elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with mindfulness and dialectics. Developed by Marsha Linehan, DBT was initially designed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it has since been considered effective in addressing a range of other emotional and behavioural challenges. At its core, DBT […]

Use Self Determination Theory to help counsel clients experiencing issues at work

I have previously written about Self Determination theory (SDT) concerning understanding client motivation (Simper, 2023). Here, we consider the potential benefits of applying SDT within counselling interactions and focus primarily on clients with work issues.  Self-determination theory (SDT) is a psychological framework developed by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan that focuses on human […]

Counselling with Chimps

The Chimp Paradox, authored by Steve Peters (2013), presents a compelling exploration of the Human mind and its intricate workings. Peters, a psychiatrist most renowned for his work in elite sports psychology, introduces readers to a captivating model that delves into the complexities of the brain and its impact on emotions, behaviour, and decision-making. The […]

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 […]

Understanding and Handling Loneliness

Loneliness is often cited as merely being a state of being alone – this is perhaps not accurate, however. Loneliness is not a situation as much as it is a “state of mind characterized by negative emotions regarding the perception of being alone” (Tiwari, 2013). This definition points to one fundamental and overlooked fact about […]

How much should you reveal of yourself in counselling?

Self-disclosure The degree to which a counsellor includes any self-disclosure, i.e., details about themselves, their lives, or their personal experiences and even extending to whether they should have any personal items in the counselling room remain contentious issues. The traditional notion, steeped in the origins of psychoanalysis, is of the therapist as a separate and […]

Counselling and intimate relationships with clients

Simply put, sexual/romantic relationships between clients and counsellors/therapists across the spectrum of psychological helpers is seen as universally unacceptable. Despite this fact, according to recent research (Vessentini et al, 2022) over 70% of mental health professionals report emotional feelings and sexual attraction to their clients and 27% fantasized about having sexual contact with their clients, […]

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 […]

Can traumatic memories literally be re-parented?

This article describes the practical experience of an imagery rescript from schema therapy, and also discusses some of the evidence for this approach in treating trauma or schemas which originated in childhood. A great deal of the problems people seek therapy for are the deep-seated type problems; the problems people feel they have always had. Problems with […]