Dealing with Deception in Counselling
“You should always believe your clients,” said the counselling-training professor to the trainees, “and you should always disbelieve them” »
Addictions
The Rise and Rise of the Selfie
Do any of these statements apply to you? How about to anyone you know, including any clients? »
Recognising and Treating Exercise Addiction
He’s up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, slipping into jogging shorts despite the single-digit temperatures, cold winds, and darkness. He pounds the pavement faithfully for 90 minutes a day, at least five days a week. He is also chronically tired and complains of frequent joint pain. He has recently been feeling like, “Why bother? Life is just a treadmill of ‘have-to-dos’”... »
Compulsive Gambling: Myths and Facts
Have you ever attempted to speak with a gambler about his or her gambling patterns? Chances are that the person overrode any concerns you might have broached about their behaviour by saying that they couldn’t possibly become addicted because they don’t gamble regularly, they don’t lose more than a few hundred dollars at a time, and they always act responsibly. This is the moment ... »
Counselling Dilemma: Gambling Addiction and Social Media
You have been working as a gambling addictions counsellor for Relationships Australia for the past 5 years. You are active in the community and attend regular network meetings in your local area. One evening at a regular meeting you run into a previous client, Kobe. Kobe informs you that he has been in recovery for three years and has now completed a counselling degree. Kobe has started a support ... »
Counselling Dilemma: A Client’s Sex Reassignment Surgery
Mark, 36 years of age, is directed to counselling by his doctor after Mark decides he wants to transition from male to female, undergo sex reassignment surgery, and change his name to Sonia. Mark reports he has suffered for a long time trying to live as a man when he in fact feels like a woman. »
Book Review: Counselling Older People with Alcohol Problems
Mike Fox, Lesley Wilson (2011). Jessica Kingsley Publishing. Australia, like other developed countries, has a rapidly ageing population. Over the next 50 years the Australian Bureau of Statistic (2000) predicts that the number of older Australians is expected to increase to 6.5 million, representing approximately 25% of the total population. Whilst the use and abuse of alcohol amongst younger Aust... »
Understanding Shopping Addiction
Spending too much, too often, goes by several names: “shopping addiction”, “over-shopping” or “overspending”, “compulsive shopping”, and “oniomania”. People even designate themselves as “shopaholics”. »
Psychological and Social Effects of Alcohol Abuse
“When the wine goes in, strange things come out.” ~ Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, The Piccolomini, 1799 »
Substance Use, Abuse and Dependence
There is a difference between substance use, abuse and dependence. Substance use, as the name implies, refers to the use of substances in low to moderate amounts and does not interfere with social, occupational or educational functioning. »
The Psychology of Addiction
Almost all substance use affects the “reward mechanism” in the brain. The main chemical messenger involved in the brain’s reward mechanism is dopamine. Each time the person uses a substance they will tend to feel ‘good’, which makes them want to use the substance again. Over time, changes in the brain occur (e.g. less dopamine is produced), which lessens the pleasurab... »
Characteristics of Addiction: Loss of control
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. »
Characteristics of Addiction: Compulsive Use
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. »
