Also referred to as “food addiction” and “binge-eating disorder” (BED), compulsive overeating is characterised by an obsessive-compulsive relationship to food. This condition is not only manifested by abnormal (amount of) food intake, but also by the intake and craving for foods that are, in themselves, harmful to the individual. People suffering from this disorder engage in frequent episodes of u... »
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... »
Addiction affects the whole family. Because of this, it is understandable why some would suggest that treatment should involve the whole family. It is often the case that addicted individuals seek treatment in response to a form of external pressure exerted by family members. Many therapists adopting family therapy to treat substance abuse today have broadened what constitutes family to include ot... »
Cognitive-behaviour therapy aims to help substance-dependent people abstain from using by applying the same learning processes that developed the substance dependence initially. In treating substance dependence, the goal of cognitive behaviour therapy is to teach the person to... »
Motivational enhancement is a style of person-centred counselling developed to facilitate change in health-related behaviours. The core principle of the approach is negotiation rather than conflict. It aims to help people explore and resolve their ambivalence about behaviour change. »
Loss of control in its broader sense encompasses both the relative inability of an addict to terminate consumption once initiated and the inability to refrain from substance use following a period of abstinence (Lyvers, 2000). This has been attributed to impairments in the area of the brain that is responsible for executive functions including behavioural autonomy and self control. »
Addictions may manifest in numerous ways, but generally they share three common characteristics – often referred to as the three C’s of compulsive use, loss of control and continued use. In this post we’ll focus on the role compulsive use plays in addictive behaviour. »
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. »
Leah is a 24 year old woman who was recently discharged from the Army on medical grounds. During her four years in the Army, Leah experienced high levels of stress and anxiety which she coped with by drinking heavily. When she presented for counselling, Leah had been sober for 55 days and was seeking strategies to cope with her anxiety that didn’t involve drinking. »
Rotgers, F., Morganstern, J., & Walters, S. T. (Eds.). (2003). Treating substance abuse: Theory and technique (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. 374 pages. ISBN: 13 978-1-59385-374-7 »
In this scenario, the counsellor has been experiencing deteriorating health problems and is required to go into hospital in 2 weeks time for major surgery. It is likely that the counsellor will be spending a few weeks in hospital and some further months at home recovering from surgery. »
[NB All names have been changed] Beatrice is a 40-year-old married mother of four children; she married young and over time she and her husband separated on three occasions. Her husband previously subjected her to both psychological and physical abuse. As a child she lost her mother to suicide leaving her to be raised by her father. Unable to raise his daughters and work at the same time, Beatrice... »
You’ll regularly receive powerful strategies for personal development, tips to improve the growth of your counselling practice, the latest industry news, and much more.
