Mahler”s Stages of Child Development – Description of seperation individuation process
The Schizoid Personality
In this video Bob Cooke TSTA talks about the features of this type of Personality-and how to work with this population in Therapy–as well as this he describes a Treatment plan, that Psychotherapists may also find useful to reflect upon.
10 Movies To Uplift You From Depression
Theresa Bouchard writing for her blog Sanity Break says that one of the best tools to combat depression is distraction. Her favourite distraction is to watch a movie. Watching an uplifting movie has an antidepressant effect because it distracts your brain from its depressive thoughts as you concentrate on the storyline. Theresa says that during the film the brain readjusts itself so that once the film is over it is a ‘bit kinder’ as you carry on with your jobs for the day.
What are your favourite uplifting films? If you are feeling low on this rainy Monday why not look one out and settle down for an hour or two. You may just feel a lot better afterwards!
Psychotherapist Internal Reflection- re clients
commander cialis More Help Thinking about your client
Go inside….
- Put yourself into your office
- Think of a particular client
- What do you think about that client?
- What do you value about them?
- What are their unique characteristics?
- In what ways if any do you express to them what you value about them?
- As you think about that client how do they organise their experience?
- Is that experience organised by particular body tension?
- Is that experience organised by expression of some particular affect or the importance of that affect?
- How do they organise that experience cognitively? In other words what kind of script beliefs did they have to help them organise their experience and although they may do some strange things and have some strange ways of seeing the work in what context was that pretty normal?
- And if you had of lived in their context how would you have survived?
- So what is it you do that makes contact with this person?
- What do you do that reaches out and touches their heart and soul? And what is the quality of relationship that you are bringing to their life.
- And how does the quality of relationship that your bringing differ from the other relationships in their life.
- And what is that sparkle in them, that sense that keeps them alive, that brought them to therapy with you? What keeps them going rather than giving up in despair?
- And what is it that you do in therapy that probably no other therapist would do it the way that you do it?
- What is it that you bring and who you are that makes a very treasured experience for that client?
Private communication from Richard Erskine 2013
High Earnings Can Hamper Happiness
The Association for Pyschological Science looks at research undertaken by a team of behavioural researchers on the tendency to overearn. The idea behind it was that overearning is a throwback in time to when people would gather resources not for the sake of happiness but simply for survival.
They carried out a series of experiments, with the aid of chocolates, and came to the conclusion that ”Overearners forgo the pleasure of leisure and endure the pain of extra work”. Overearners also have a detrimental effect in the workplace by imposing their work habits on others and a negative effect at home as they have less time to spend with loved ones.
High Earnings Can Hamper Happiness – Association for Psychological Science.
Anxiety Basics. Six things you need to know.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. We have all experienced it at some time or other in our lives. It’s not uncommon to feel worried about an impending job interview or exam, but if your feelings of anxiety overwhelm you then they can effect your day to day life significantly.
Anxiety UK say that ‘Anxiety can make a person imagine that things in their life are worse than they really are, and prevent them from confronting their fears. Often they will think they are going mad, or that some psychological imbalance is at the heart of their woes’.
Anxiety and Stress
Last weeks article was all about stress and the response our bodies have when we are faced with a stressful situation. In our early days as humans we developed an inbuilt response called ‘fight or flight’ which protects us from all the dangers that surrounded us. When faced with a danger our heart rate and breathing get faster and our senses are heightened by the production of adrenaline and corticosteroids in our bodies. In present times, our environment has changed and so have the dangers. Most of us do not now face the fear of being eaten by a wild animal (thank goodness!) but we do still have the same stress response to stressors such as relationship problems, work pressures and finances. The feelings that many associate with anxiety is this ‘fight or flight’ mechanism kicking in. However instead of being used to avoid immediate danger, it is activated inappropriately during everyday situations.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Do you feel anxious most days and struggle to relax? Anxiety can cause both mental (pyschological) and physical symptoms which can be different from person to person.
Some psychological symptoms to look out for include irritability, impatience, difficulties in concentration so that you are easily distracted, restlessness and a general feeling of dread.
There are many physical symptoms associated with anxiety. These include insomnia, tiredness, dizziness, shortness of breath and palpitations, stomach ache and diarrohea, muscle aches and pain and the list goes on.
You are not alone!
Anxiety affects about 1 in 20 adults in Britain. Slightly more women are affected than men, and the condition is most common in people in their twenties (nhs). The charity Mind say that if your anxiety is severe you may have difficulty holding down a job or maintaining relationships. The impact of anxiety on your life and those around you can be huge.
Where to get help?
If you think you are suffering from anxiety, seeking help and a diagnosis is the best thing you can do. Talking to a GP or a qualified psychotherapist will enable you to discuss your symptoms and gain the correct therapy so that you can take control of your anxiety. Psychotherapy is the most widely recommended treatment for anxiety. Psychotherapy can help you to uncover the reasons behind your anxiety and then by working with your therapist you can begin to work on strategies to reduce your anxiety levels.
How to help yourself?
There are lots of things you can do to enable you to manage your anxiety. Mind suggest a range of things from relaxation and breathing techniques, assertiveness training, to leading a healthy lifestyle. Talking about your anxiety to a family member or friend can also help.
Remember here at the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy we have experienced counsellors and therapists who can help you to deal with your anxiety. Our emphasis is on friendliness and providing a safe and warm environment. Why not phone the Institute on: 0161-862-9456 to book your initial assessment or contact us via email.
Supervision Training Courses
Supervision in itself is a young discipline compared with Counselling or Psychotherapy.Supervision has been around for many decades ,especially in the area of Education and Teaching.
Managerial Supervision, Administration Supervision, and Business Supervision have also grown in use through this period.
Of course in the world of Psychoanalysis, Supervision has been around for some time.In the early 1990s some of the Education centres and early Psychotherapy centres, put on Supervision courses as the need for Clinical Supervision became more evident.At the Manchester Institute of Psychotherapy, we have been running Clinical Supervision courses, and Training Supervisors for the last 25 years.
At the present time of writing the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy runs a Supervision course that carries a Certificate,which is useful for anyone thinking of working in the area of Supervision, learning about Supervision, or indeed refreshing their skills in this area
In the next year, the Institute will be putting on a Diploma in Supervision Training which will carry on naturally from the Certificate and Supervision.
It will be an Advanced course for people who have awarded the Certificate in Supervision,and want to extend their knowledge in the area of Clinical Supervision.
Supervision then, is essential for all Therapists and Counsellor,and in Manchester as a whole we have seen the need for Clinical Supervision grow as the demand for Counselling and Therapy has grown.
Bob cooke 2013
Focus on mental health for teens to improve physical health
A new study published in the American Journal of Preventative medicine has looked at a new teaching programme called COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) in american high schools. The programme consisted of a 50 minute lesson each week looking at behavioral skills, nutrition and exercise delivered to 14- 16 year old teenagers. What is different about this programme is that it focuses on the link between thinking patterns, emotions and behaviour which is relevant to any age group not just teenagers.
So did the teenagers physical and mental health improve? Take a look at their findings in the National Post.
Moving Through A Difficult Anniversary Date
I was talking to a colleague the other day about how she was coping with life after the sudden death of her husband a few months ago. She said she was managing ok just at the moment as there were not any anniversaries or special dates coming up that she had shared with her late husband.
Dr Deb talks about this matter in her blog and she calls it the ‘Anniversary reaction’. She defines it as a unique set of thoughts, feelings and memories that occur on the anniversary of a significant experience. It may not be linked with a particular date even but perhaps a time of year or season.
So what can you do? She goes on to give six tips to help you move through these difficult times. Read on to find out more….
Counselling Courses In the UK
At the time of writing ,in September 2013-the Counselling field has never been healthier, Counselling has become more popular and mainstream, and in response to this, more and more, Counselling courses have been introduced to deal with the demand for Counsellors by the general public.
As well as this, various regulating bodies have emerged to accredit these flourishing Courses.
One of the first regulating bodies to emerge in the world of Counselling was the, then called, British association of Counselling .
It was formed in 1989 and attempted to regulate the newly emerging Counselling courses to some level of competency.Other regulating bodies followed , but the BAC, soon to be re-launched in 1996, as the British association of Counselling and Psychotherapy proved to be the major regulating body in the world of Counselling.
This position remains today and most employers of Counsellors in the United Kingdom look for BAC recognised Counsellors.
This position is being challenged in the market place by new regulating bodies such as ABC, AQA, and the National Association of Counselling.However The BACP has established itself as the forerunner in quality assurance ,and will not give up that place in the Counselling world that easy.
At the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy we have been running Counselling courses for many years now.
The most important and popular course has been the Counselling Concepts course which is accredited by a AQA , we are thinking about putting a Diploma in Counselling on at the Institute, and if we do Rory Lee Oakes will head that department.
Rory Lee Oakes has been running many Counselling courses and Training for many years ,and he runs the successful U TUBE channel called Counselling Re-sources.Indeed on the Internet and on UTUBE we have seen the rise and development of many new counselling courses.
Perhaps one of the biggest developments in recent years in the area of Counselling courses ,and in fact Counselling training, has been the increase in Online Counselling.
Indeed as we come to the year 2013 ,perhaps the biggest evolution is of online counselling courses and training -it is one of the most exciting ventures in this new world.
Bob Cooke 2013
