Welcome to the AIPC Online Article Library. The library includes over 300 articles focusing on counselling, life effectiveness skills and mental health. We invite you to explore our range of articles by clicking the category links above, or using the drop-down menu on your right. To learn more about AIPC, visit www.aipc.net.au

Latest Articles

Dreams and Counselling

AIPC November 7, 2018 Counselling Theory & Practice, Neuroscience, Spirituality & Religion

How do you respond when your client asks in distress: “Why am I having all these wild dreams?”? Do you know what purpose the client’s dreams may be serving? If your honest answer is “no”, you are not alone. While theories on why we dream abound, it’s hard to get at dreams directly. The main thing that dream theorists agree on is that there is little agreement (Cherry, 2017; Lewis, n.d.)! Thus, in this post we review what the main purposes of dreams seem to be based on current theories and the research that has come out. »

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Procrastination: What Your Client Needs to Know

AIPC October 24, 2018 Counselling Theory & Practice, Effectiveness Skills, Life Coping Skills, Therapies & Approaches

95% of us procrastinate (Steel, 2010) – accruing negative consequences – despite having recognised for 500 years that we do it! Yet even modern psychological science still does not have definitive answers for why we procrastinate, or ironclad solutions for how to stop. If the client sitting in front of you is lamenting all the negative consequences he’s had for engaging in this habit, what can you tell him to help? What does he need to know to change his behaviour? This article looks at recent research illuminating what’s behind this most irritating habit, and the approaches that may help deal with it. »

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Recognising Radicalisation Toward Extremism

AIPC October 17, 2018 Ethics & Legal Issues, Multicultural Issues, Spirituality & Religion, Technology & Social Media

If you’ve been a professional helper for a while, you have probably sensed that the fields we work in (counselling/psychotherapy, psychology, social work, etc.) have changed in recent years. As the world we live in becomes increasingly polarised, so too do the beliefs and values of people drawn to radicalisation toward extremism; for many of those radicalised, the process has occurred chiefly online. Studies suggest that about 50% of the UK’s young people who become radicalised are brainwashed by extremist material on the internet; the number of people radicalised in Britain has doubled in the last five years (Educate.against.hate, 2017). »

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The Mental Health Benefits of Naps

AIPC August 31, 2018 Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness

What’s your reaction when your client leans forward in her chair and her voice drops to a whisper as she confides, “You know, I just get so sleepy after lunch that I feel I must have a nap, or I can’t function — but then I feel so guilty!”? Do you nod sagely, “getting” what she says because you feel guilty about the same thing? Do you immediately jump into analysis and problem-solving in order to figure out why she’s sleepy, and how she can avoid it to be a more productive human being (notice the subtle judgments here)? Or do you take a different tack: deciding to offer some psychoeducation about the many benefits of napping? This post is about making that last option easier for you. »

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Case Studies

Counselling with Chimps

AIPC February 11, 2025

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 mode...

A Case Using Brief Psychodynamic Therapy

AIPC November 27, 2014

Wendy is a 54 year old woman who has two adult children and has been married for twenty-nine years. Her husban...

A Case of Lost Direction

AIPC November 25, 2014

Jenny has come to counselling due to strong feelings of dissatisfaction with her life. She is 48 years old, un...

Communication

The Fine Art of Compassion

AIPC May 15, 2019

Imagine this scenario: you are keen to get a particular job and an opportunity for it comes up. You prepare meticulously for the interview, but somehow, it doesn’t go well. The interviewers don’t seem to warm to you, and you know in your heart that y...

Building Shame Resilience in Clients

AIPC June 1, 2018

Jungian analysts have called it the “swampland of the soul”. Other psychotherapy writers have observed how it ...

Strategies for Helping Families to Enhance Resilience

AIPC July 19, 2017

If you are supporting a family in transition, you may perceive huge differences between them and the character...

Counselling Theory & Practice

Motivational Interviewing for Allied Health Professionals: Unlocking Client Motivation for Lasting Change

AIPC May 20, 2025

“How can I effectively motivate my patients?” This question resonates throughout the healthcare landscape. Whether you’re a physiotherapist guiding patients through rehabilitation exercises or a dietitian encouraging healthier lifestyle choices, elic...

Embracing Neuroaffirming Practice in Counselling: A Guide for Immediate Application

AIPC May 13, 2025

The significance of the mental health crisis among autistic individuals cannot be overstated. A 2019 meta-anal...

Theories of Grief and the Grieving Process

AIPC May 6, 2025

Grief theories provide a conceptual base for understanding grief and loss as a process involving many common c...

Life Coping Skills

The Fine Art of Compassion

AIPC May 15, 2019

Imagine this scenario: you are keen to get a particular job and an opportunity for it comes up. You prepare meticulously for the interview, but somehow, it doesn’t go well. The interviewers don’t seem to warm to you, and you know in your heart that y...

The Benefits of Intentional Daydreaming

AIPC January 23, 2019

Your fitness tracker reminds you to walk away from your computer every hour to get needed movement – and then ...

Procrastination: What Your Client Needs to Know

AIPC October 24, 2018

95% of us procrastinate (Steel, 2010) – accruing negative consequences – despite having recognised for 500 yea...