Counselling Theory & Practice

Challenges of Same-Sex Couple Families

Nowhere is a discussion of dynamics in the changing family more pertinent than with lesbian and gay couples, and of the four functions that a family is meant to carry out for its members, the question of family formation is primary. Although gays and lesbians are not permitted to marry in most locations around the world, they do come together in civil unions, and many post-divorce families consist... »

A Guide to Helping the Suicide-Bereaved

How can you best offer support to someone who is bereaved by suicide? What attitudes, translated into caring actions, can best facilitate the bereaved person’s coping in the immediate and short term, and their healing in the longer term? Because of the remaining societal stigma and also the lack of knowledge about how to be with the suicide-bereaved in a sensitive way, many friends and even family... »

Trends and Statistics of the Contemporary Family

If the family is society’s “fundamental unit”, what are some of the emergent trends and statistical truths about the unit in these times of accelerated change? If one of our goals, as counsellors, is to assist families in the crisis of transition, we must understand the changes and concomitant stressors that accompany the new forms. In this article, we look at some trends and statistics of the “co... »

Psychological Interventions for Depression

Treatments (or interventions) for depression fall into one of three categories, and often several are recommended to be taken up at once. These main groupings are: medical interventions; psychological interventions and; lifestyle interventions »

Problem Gambling: Signs, Myths and Facts

Also called “ludomania” or “compulsive gambling”, problem gambling occurs when someone has an urge to continuously gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. It is not the gambler’s behaviour which defines whether problem gambling is occurring. Rather, it is whether the gambler or others experience harm from the gambling behaviour. At the severe end, it may be referred to as... »

A Summary of Eight Counselling Microskills

In this post we summarise the following eight fundamental skills that alone or together can help a client to access their deepest thoughts or clarify their future dreams: »

The Five Stages of Addiction

Addiction is a plague that affects individuals and society in an adverse manner. It is a very costly illness that has worldwide prevalence (www.aipc.net.au/articles/?p=209). If addiction is an illness wherein a person’s drives are operating improperly, then the stages of addiction are the signposts that indicate just how far down the road to addiction the drives have taken the person. Many authori... »

Counselling Strategies for Dealing with the Lonely Client

In part 1 of this 2-part series, we explored the symptoms, causes and effects of loneliness. In this continued article, we’ll discuss various counselling strategies for dealing with the lonely client and provide you with guidelines to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. »

Symptoms, Causes and Effects of Loneliness

According to Murphy and Kupschik (1992), loneliness is defined as a state in which a person describes experiencing an overwhelming sense of inner emptiness and social isolation. It is, therefore, an emotional state. Loneliness is more than a person feeling that they want to be able to connect on a social level with others – but rather it is a perceived sense of disconnection, rejection and alienat... »

Suicide: Statistics, Characteristics and Myths

Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud called suicide “murder turned around 180 degrees”, or more wryly, “a very poor response to a very bad day”. Also called “self-murder” or “self-killing”, suicide is the act of deliberately or intentionally taking one’s own life. It is an attempt to solve a problem of intense emotional pain with impaired problem-solving skills (Kalafat, J. & Underwood, M., n.d.). »

Positive Psychology and Resilience

By Mrs Toula Gordillo What makes one person ‘bounce back’ following adversity and another person seem to ‘crumble in a heap’? This question has always posed a fascination for me. I have often wondered whether individuals are simply born with the skills to cope with the difficulties that life often presents or whether there are a set of stress-coping skills that individuals can learn. »

Positive Psychology and Resilience

What makes one person ‘bounce back’ following adversity and another person seem to ‘crumble in a heap’? This question has always posed a fascination for me. I have often wondered whether individuals are simply born with the skills to cope with the difficulties that life often presents or whether there are a set of stress-coping skills that individuals can learn. I love Mart... »

How the Mind Works

Over the past two decades scientists have devoted much time to the human brain: how it works, why it works, and how it impacts human and animal behaviour. As a result, it is hard to keep up with the latest research! To help you out, we looked around for websites that publish regular, free, and very interesting content on how the mind works. Below are five of them: »

Symptoms and Behaviours of Unresolved Grief

Lindemann (1944), Lazare (1979) and Worden (2005) have identified numerous symptoms and behaviours that indicate unresolved / complicated grief. While many of the symptoms identified can be considered ordinary during the more acute earlier phase of grief, they are considered major signs of unresolved / complicated grief if they remain for unusually prolonged periods of time. Also, the more symptom... »

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