Welcome to the AIPC Counselling Articles Page

An Overview of Schizophrenia - 16-07-2008
Schizophrenia is a disorder characterised by severe disturbances in thinking, emotion and behaviour that are disruptive to a person's life. Schizophrenia is characterised by changes in mental function where thoughts and perceptions become disordered, and there is a loss of contact with reality.

An Introduction to Eating Disorders - 16-07-2008
Eating disorders are complex, multifaceted physical and mental health problems. Their development usually involves a number of different contributing and perpetuating factors. The exact processes are unclear and it is uncertain how they interact to develop or maintain an eating disorder (Fairburn & Harrison, 2003).

An Introduction to Pre Marriage Counselling - 16-06-2008
In Australia, over 40 per cent of all marriages end in divorce over a 30 year period, and marriage rates have dropped to the lowest rate they have been in one hundred years (ABS, 2007). Somewhere around one million people in Australia have experienced divorce. The costs associated with divorce, including social security payments and court proceedings, run close to a staggering 3 billion dollars a year in Australia alone (Owen-Brown and Booth, 2003).

Respect for the Client - 04-06-2008
If not the most important feature of professional counselling, "respect for the client" is definitely high up on the priority list. Geldard and Geldard (2005) explain that regardless of who the client is, and regardless of their behaviour, the client has come to the counsellor for assistance and deserves to be treated as a person of worth and value.

Personality Traits and Patterns in Children - 16-05-2008
This article discusses personality traits and patterns in children. Whether you have your own children, look after nieces and nephews, or find yourself a good example of a highly active 'inner child'; this content is certainly worth reflecting upon.

Supervision: Theories and Models - 16-05-2008
Extensive education and training over a number of years is considered part of the "rights of passage" to becoming a mental health professional. As mental health practitioners, we're well aware of the importance of supervision. In this article, we'll briefly explore common supervision models and theories.

Communicating with Children - 16-05-2008
This article tackles a common scenario which conjures a high dose of disparity between cultural, social and emotional backgrounds within the communication process: communicating with children.

Effective Communication and Empathy - 16-05-2008
In this article we overview two extremely important skills within the counselling environment: effective communication and empathy. Whether you're a counsellor or mental health practitioner, or not, the principles discussed below can be useful to improve all kinds of relationships - in all walks of life.

Strategies to Improve Effectiveness - 16-05-2008
Below are eight ideas that can help you increase your personal and professional effectiveness. Why not add these thoughts to your daily planner? It's certainly valuable content to think about, and refer to again and again.

Case Study: Drug Addictions and Group Work - 16-05-2008
A Support Group had been advertised on the display board of the local Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre in the City where the Counsellor had been seeing each of the members for private counselling prior to the start of the programme.