Counselling Articles

The Most Common Reasons for Embarking on Therapy

When going through emotionally difficult times, individuals often seek help from a therapist. This is partly due to the greater acceptance for psychotherapy in our society. Several decades ago, psychotherapy, or counselling, was viewed as something that should be kept a secret; but times have changed, and now people talk about the experience of their latest session over coffee with their friends who are also in therapy. The frequency of which people now undergo therapy could be attributed to many factors, and could even be viewed as a “trend.” However, the real reason for why people have therapy is because it works. This article will discuss the top reasons for embarking on therapy.

The most common reasons for having therapy are: (more…)

Finding a Good Therapist is like…..

Did you know that anyone, in the UK, can call themselves a counsellor or therapist? Scary when you think about it, right? Finding a good therapist can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack, almost impossible to do. Today, typing the word “therapist” in your search engine and hitting the Enter key will result in hundreds of therapist’s listings. It’s well-known that not all therapists are actually “good” at what they do. This belief is supported by examples of “bad” therapists regularly portrayed on television and film. So how do you go about sorting the good therapists from the therapists that need therapy more than you do? This article will help you to become more familiar with the traits of both good and bad therapists. Once you become more familiar with what to look out for, you can make a better informed choice and feel more confident in your decision to have therapy. (more…)

Taking the time to understand and recreate yourself can be the start of a healthy process of change and personal development; a process termed ’therapy’. If you have never had therapy or you are thinking about making your first appointment, you may wonder what therapy will entail. Questions such as, “Will my therapist think I’m crazy?” or “Do I really have to tell my shrink everything?” or “Will my therapist be able to help?” are actually quite common. So what happens in therapy and what should you know?

You are not alone

Feeling sceptical or hesitant about something you have never tried before is natural, and this applies to therapy too. One of the secrets shared among experienced therapists: YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THE ISSUES THAT BROUGHT YOU TO THERAPY! Yes, it is true, other people are also trying to handle the same or similar issues. Many of them are in therapy as well. The issues you confront can raise feelings of isolation or uniqueness. Combating pre-therapy jitters is easier when you remember that you are not alone in your struggle, and that seeking therapy is quite common. (more…)

Depersonalisation Disorder (DPD) is a mental illness, medically documented for over 100 years, but relatively unknown by the public. Precise statistics about this disorder are not known, in part because those who suffer from the disorder are often misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety. Individuals might fear being viewed as “crazy” if they share their feelings, and some mental health professionals fail to recognize its symptoms. Leading experts on Depersonalisation Disorder estimate that at least 2% of the population may suffer from this disorder, so there may be at least 600,000 people in the UK now suffering from this disorder. Surprisingly Depersonalisation Disorder occurs almost as often as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Schizophrenia.

Definition & Symptoms of Depersonalisation Disorder

Depersonalisation Disorder is a type of disorder that classifies as a Dissociative Disorder in the  DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders). Strict criteria need to be met in order to give a positive diagnosis. Diagnosis is difficult, so it is important that a Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist do this. Individuals who suffer from the disorder may have symptoms including:  (more…)