Stress

Common Myths about Bullying

The knowledge many people have about bullying is based on myths and misunderstandings. These can be dangerous because these attitudes may make you double guess yourself and your reactions to bullying. The following table contains six of the most misconstrued myths about bullying. »

What is Bullying?

According to the Victorian Education Department bullying is defined as: ‘when someone, or a group of people, who have more power at the time, deliberately upset or hurt another person, their property, reputation or social acceptance on more than one occasion.’ »

Child Bullying: Signs

In most cases a child will not tell an adult that they are being bullied and the school may not be aware of any subtle changes in a child’s behaviour. Therefore it is crucial for parents to identify when their child is experiencing a problem. If you have noticed that your child’s attitude, behaviour or emotional responses have changed recently, the issue of bullying should be considere... »

Series: Coping with Your Child Being Bullied

Long gone are the days when the phrase ‘sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me’ was used to toughen the kids in the school playground. Bullying is now an issue that is taken very seriously by parents and schools. »

Series: Coping with Sudden Unemployment

Unfortunately ‘organisational restructuring’ and ‘downsizing’ are common events in today’s workplace. For those individuals who suddenly lose their job, financial pressures can be overwhelming. Most support individuals receive focus on supporting the individual financially. However even under the best conditions where someone has ample savings and decent job prospects... »

Counselling Case Study: Social Anxiety

Sasha is a 60 year old woman who has recently retired from a career in teaching. Working for many years in a secondary school environment, Sasha was confident, motivated and dedicated to her work, but at the same time looking forward to retirement so she and her husband could travel and spend more time with their adult children who lived nearby. »

Anger Management Strategy: Relaxation

The body tends to respond in an innate flight or fight response when faced with an anger-provoking situation. That means that reactions within your body call you to ask yourself whether you should leave the situation (flight) or use your newly produced adrenalin and cortisones to get through (fight). »

Anger Management Strategy: Self-Calming

“What we think affects the way we feel. Distorted thinking can increase the likelihood of negative emotions such as anger, while calming or challenging thoughts can reduce the impact of these feelings. Self-calming statements are thoughts that can be (1) prepared in advance to anticipate and cope with a situation or trigger; (2) used to cope with the situation or trigger when it arises; and ... »

Anger Management Strategy: Challenge Thoughts

Once appraisals of triggers have been identified, it can be beneficial for both counsellor and client to consider the appraisal and evaluate its validity. This can be achieved through a number of questioning techniques (as outlined below). »

Anger Management Strategy: Record the Episode

To begin the management of anger, both counsellor and client require an understanding of the client’s expressive patterns. This can be achieved by encouraging clients to complete an Anger Episode Record. This is a record of each trigger, appraisal, experience, expressive pattern and outcome the client encounters during an established time period. »

The Anger Episode Model

Kassinove & Tafrate (2002) developed the anger episode model after conducting research that observed individuals responding to anger in real-life situations. The model has five main components, each interlinked with the next (click on the image below). »

Using the Anger Thermometer

The anger thermometer can be used in counselling as a mechanism for discussing various anger-provoking scenarios and establishing the label befitting the feeling evoked. Scenarios can range from yielding reactions that are mild to reactions that are intense. »

Series: Anger Management

“Anger: Kassinove and Sukhodolsky (1995) defined anger as a felt emotional state. This private state varies in intensity and duration, as well as frequency, and is associated with cognitive distortions, verbal and motor behaviours, and patterns of physical arousal. Although anger may emerge spontaneously, another person is typically seen as the cause of anger. And it usually includes a perce... »

Counselling Dilemma: A Highly Stressed Client

A client comes to you having had to quit work due to a degenerative visual impairment. He has a 3 year-old child and his wife is expecting another baby. His sight may continue to deteriorate or it may remain at the current level. He is suffering stress, feelings of grief and loss and anxiety about the future. »

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