Therapy and Counseling Articles

The top question we get at Live Expert Help at our web site (http://www.youthchg.com) is "How do I get kids torn behave?" Often, that teacher or counselor is looking for new discipline methods that will better engender appropriate behavior in their setting. Often, that teacher or counselor does not like our answer. Our answer is that discipline and consequences are often ineffective. Yes, every school or agency needs both, but alone, they don't work. Alone?

Congratulations. If you’re reading this article you may just have taken an important step in choosing to have an entirely different relationship regarding your emotional reactions to your mother. That’s very exciting—and truly admirable! Especially after all these years of feeling that you were powerless to change them, and that it was her fault. Now let’s see how on this Mother’s Day, and all days to come, you can achieve freedom from your automatic reactions. That would be a remarkable achievement indeed!

People who go into therapy frequently report good experiences where the patient feels understood and well-supported by the therapist, who uses his or her therapeutic skills to facilitate a discovery and healing process. But what if your therapy frustrates you? What if your therapist is off ...

A heron stands alone in the shallows. She is seemingly oblivious to me. I remain quiet and study it, praying inside for guidance and inspiration. I receive it. This occurred recently while I was walking on a sandy mound in a bay on the ocean, She remains alone. I wonder why. She obviously has ...

Modern popular dance the world over now centers solidly on sexual attraction. Even the slow numbers which thirty years ago were used to try and induce an element of romance are gone. Everything about popular dance is earthier and more direct. This, however, is only one aspect of dance and ...

What if you already had the key to unlock aspects of yourself that you never knew existed? What if you’ve already done so in your life? What can you learn about who you already are from those precious moments you’ve experienced in the past? What if you knew that that voice in your head telling you that something was wrong with you—which we all have, so it’s not personal about you!!—was a lie? Most of us have had some moment in our lives when we experienced a sense of liberation, of being in the “zone,” of feeling a connection to another person or to life.

Dreams are a source of inspiration and creativity that can lead us to a deeper understanding of who we are. They are a way for us to connect with hidden parts of ourselves that may not be easily accessible to us in our conscious, awakened states. Dreams may be explored on many levels, usually ...

Everyone deals with stress at different degrees. It’s how we deal with or manage stress that is important. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The final goal would be to have a more balanced life, where you make time for yourself, relationships, work, etc in a more constructive way. Unhealthy ways of coping with stress These are some examples of coping strategies that might help in the moment, but do more harm than you think. * Procrastinatingr

Have you ever decided to make a major change in your life, a change that you feel totally committed to making, only to find after a few weeks, days or perhaps only hours, all your good intentions have been scuttled and you are back to where you were? Perhaps you have made a New Years Resolution and decided to stop smoking, limit drinking or take up a new fitness routine?

Courage may be defined by those who live outside the bubble as opposed to those who live in it. I like to compare stepping out of the bubble to "wading out into the water." When one wades, they don't thrust themselves in, but slowly move deeper into the flow of things. They wait until they ...

The other day, as I waited for the elevator in my office building, I noticed a young mother sitting on the bench in the lobby. Her tiny baby was snuggled in a baby carrier on the floor and her two year old girl was busy trying to get on the elevator with me. The mom was hunched over, phone in hand, text messaging or emailing, or whatever else she might have been doing from her phone. Meanwhile, she essentially ignored her two kids. They may as well have been invisible to her as she was completely focused on her phone.

Choosing toys for children can be very difficult as we all know. We long for the gift to be a source of pleasure but realize how easy it is to miss the mark. The recipients level of maturity both physically and intellectually, interests and safety have always to be borne in mind, even more so ...

Mindfulness meditation consists of skills and methods to unplug from the busy world around you and from the busy 'monkey brain' so often experienced in today's life and particularly in ADHD, anxiety and depression. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation trains and reinforces the ability to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose which helps to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, improve mood, decrease the stress response, and improve physical and emotional health. The studies are compelling about the health benefits of mindfulness meditation.

LGBT, as many of you may already know, stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. LGBT counseling revolves around the idea of getting the people belonging to this group to get to know themselves better so that they can overcome issues like depression, social anxiety, pressure, bullying, and emotional instability. These problems are, however, not exclusive to the LGBT community but are profoundly widespread. A more disturbing fact is that LGBT issues are often ignored

Showing respect is a way of demonstrating love. The feeling of love or affection doesn't have to be present in order to give it. When you show another (or yourself) respect, you are acting out of love. If someone said he or she loved me but consistently treated me with disrespect, I am actually being their handy scapegoat.

When a marriage ends, the greatest challenge parents face is minimizing the trauma, hurt, and loss for their children. Through positive parenting, adults have the power to help their children adjust to this major change. Healthy parenting also brings rewards to the adults as they get to feel ...

Over my 18 years as a psychotherapist, one of the most frequent issues my clients bring to me is a conce about their drinking, or perhaps their drug use. There is a wide range; some people don’t have large problems with drinking or using, but they have some conce s about it after a particularly “eventful” weekend. Others have been self-identified alcoholics and addicts who are in recovery with more severe problems. Many times, the client will express a doubt, or even a curiosity, on if they “have a problem”, and if so, to what degree, and then of course, what to do about it.

Spirituality reveals that life is bigger than our bodies and what our minds think. It is a reminder that we are never alone, and that we are all connected. I experience spirituality as the invisible connection between you and I. It is the non-physical internal world revealing something more ...

Self-knowledge, shaped by life experience, refined by decent intentions, and applied thoughtfully, builds inner trust - a prerequisite for mutual trust. Solo ventures, such as mountain travel by foot comprise a category requiring trust in the accuracy of one’s judgement, to safeguard life and ...

Cinema therapy is a modern therapy technique where therapists use the films as a tool in therapy. Some therapists think that cinema therapy can have a positive influence on clients suffering from a wide variety of psychiatric disorders including anxiety disorders like PTSD and OCD, depression, addiction, eating disorders and even relationship issues.

Handling Anger When Your Difficult Child Cannot

Hippocrates Health Institute, in West Palm Beach, Florida, stands for and teaches clean living in all areas of life, and that includes a wonderful and mysterious commodity: telling the truth. Which, being so basic, ought to be easy, but isn’t. It takes attentiveness and courage to be honest, and maybe even more difficult, it takes innocence.

You've gone negative! Listen to your internal grumbling and griping. You're aggravated and you're probably angry with someone - your spouse, kids, employees, co-workers, boss, friends, etc! Whoa! Your mind has gone negative and your negative behavior is about to follow the context of your ...

Imagination, fantasy, and play. Three concepts that naturally belong together. As children, they were a part of our lives in a very real way. As we get older, we tend to leave play behind to a large extent. Our society dictates that responsible adults focus more on the business of acquisition and achievement – very much ego activities. The engaging in play has a place but usually is socially sanctioned, such as playing sports or creating art that has some decorative value.

Gone are the days when hospital price comparisons and benchmarking was optional but with the changes in legislation it has become a must for you (hospital service provider) to complete the requirements like these. Motivated by these demands we broke the ice in the year 1993, from when we have been providing hospital data for benchmarking analyses. With these custom hospital data analyses it becomes very easy for our clients to choose specific hospitals for pricing comparisons

Bipolar Disorder is not ForevernnBy Marilyn RedmondnNew scientific evidence proves that hypnosis, mediation, and affirmations raise energy in a person changing their DNA. Russian biophysicist and molecular biologist Pjotr Garjajev now has scientifically proven that affirmations along with meditation/ hypnosis (another term for meditation) will raise consciousness, increase well-being, and balance chemistry in individuals. nnIn the past, most people were under the impression t

Everybody knows that to improve your performance you've got to work hard. However, training hard breaks down tissue in a process called catabolism. Physiological improvements occur during the rest period as a result of the body’s adaptation to intense training. This is the anabolic or ...

It seems that the quote of the day for this year has been, “Just get over it”, followed up closely with the looming question of, “Why can’t you just let it go?” As the entire world has watched marches, protests and general disruption in the psyche of American society, I think more people than ever can finally agree that this isn’t just about a handful of bitter, angry people sitting in a corner, complaining about how they didn’t get their way.

When we think about the Socializer Striving Style, with their predominant need to be connected, the Barbra Streisand song "People” (People Who Need People) comes to mind. Socializers are the “Weavers of the Social Fabric” in families, the workplace and in communities. They easily build and maintain positive relationships with a wide variety of people. They aim to be helpful and are enthusiastic, amiable, outgoing “people-people.” Their relationships are at the center of their lives and everything they do ensures their connection to others.

Getting the most this season based on your Holiday Style Do you go into the holiday season full of anticipation and excitement, only to finish up feeling let down and deflated? Are you looking for ways to get greater enjoyment from the holidays and avoid the post holiday depression this season? Not everyone approaches the holidays in the same manner. Each of us has a Holiday Style which determines how we approach it based on our Striving Style. By understanding our Holiday Style, we can ensure we have the best possible experience without any post holiday depression.

Getting outside to play provides the double benefits of both exercise and being outdoors. I recently went for a 22 mile ride on a bike path in Rhode Island. There were lots of people out walking, bike riding, flying kites, playing ball, and picnicking. These people were not only having fun and improving muscles strength and cardiac health, but they were also improving their brain health, their mood, their sleep, their concentration, and their hyperactivity. EXERCISEr

Do you ever come home steaming about an interaction you had that day in your place of work? Are there people at your job you avoid or wish you could avoid? Do these relationships sour your job satisfaction? If so, you are not alone. A study in the mid 90’s reported that 84% of companies ...

The short answer to this question is everything. Let us explore how we tie the two together. With the advent of the internet, no longer do we have an excuse to learn more and become more aware. There is very little today that is considered esoteric or unknown in mystery. Hence why education is ...

So, I've been thinking. At this point in the conversation, my husband usually rubs his forehead and says "Oh, no" with resignation. This time, I think I'm really onto something. Reality television is very popular, so I hear. I don't have a television in my house that has access to a signal ...

Inspirational dance may become trance dance but trance dance is always inspirational but not necessarily improvisational. However, improvisational dance can lead on to inspirational dance. Inspirational dance only happens when Mind, Body and Spirit are in perfect harmony. This harmony is a ...

We have finite energy stores to manage our lives. If we spend an inordinate amount of time planning our meals, cooking, eating and sadly, recovering from episodes of over indulgence, we may not have enough energy left for other matters of importance. Over dependence on one form of nurturance does not adequately compensate for others. Self-deprivations increase our appetites for more readily available substitutes. Too much of one good thing never satisfies unfulfilled appetites for others. This is the anatomy of disordered eating

FitFive Healthy Kids Program gets children off to a good start in life.For children to be fit and healthy they require a balanced diet and sufficient exercise from their earliest years. This should be self-evident to all. Habits established in childhood last a lifetime - both the good and bad ...

Online counseling courses - Firstly let us look at why you wish to. Is it to understand yourself better? Or your partner? Or potential lovers and partners? Or are you actually thinking of this as a tool that you can use career wise and sell to clients to earn a living from it? If so are your motives pure? I sometimes come across people who get it into their head that even though they cannot sort out their own lives and desperately need counselling or advice themselves they ca

Although world-wide research over the last 20 years has indicated that women experience depression at twice the rate of men, recent research conducted by Jed Diamond, Ph.D, and others, indicates that male depression has been under-reported and is actually rising dramatically.

Music is KEY to Good Health after Crisis As a native of the South, I wanted to make a contribution to the field of Psychology through my research on the Katrina survivors in Mississippi and Louisiana. Another reason, was I wanted to identify if individuals who experienced crisis became resilience as a result of listening to gospel music. Many families’ lives were changed the day Hurricane Katrina touched US soil. For some, houses were destroyed and sentimental belongings rui

Adolescence Adolescence is the hormonal cracking of childhood, while bounding into adulthood with hopes of immortality and dreams of doing whatever they wish to do. Adolescents need adults to be there for them. Guiding adolescents and supporting their innocence by close, meaningful, ...

Do you know the levels of risk with problem drinking? Is it hard for you to tell when risky behavior becomes a problem? They say that if you place a frog in a pot of water and begin to heat the pot, the frog will boil to death without even realizing it. Conversely, if you throw a frog into a ...

It seems that the message “what you think about is what you create” is everywhere these days. It sounds great in theory, but for a lot of people it is difficult to translate or put into action. For some it just becomes a harsh reminder of what they are not creating in their lives.

The Journey to Full Self-Expression “And the Day Came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” Anis Nin This quote really resonates with me. In my experience, many people struggle to be authentic in all of their relationships and dealings with people. Sometimes they let others lead and give in to their desires, not really thinking of their own. This costs people their personal freedom.

The Striving Styles Personality System is based on the premise that if we want to know what we are born for, we must know what we are born as. Too often we are trying to figure out what we are meant to be or do without really knowing who we are. This disconnect causes us to look outside of ourselves for answers to questions that can only be answered from within.r

“Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.”rn~Ayn Rand Have you ever witnessed a dog trying to catch its tail? It runs in circles getting nowhere. In the end, it’s a fruitless effort. As humans, we replicate this behavior when we are out of alignment with our core values. Our core values serve as an internal compass guiding us to live a life filled with purpose and passion. Ultimately, they are the foundation of who we are.

According to an article released by CBS News called “Fake Service Dogs a Growing Problem,” real service dogs help assist a wide variety of individuals, including “people who use power or manual wheelchairs, have balance issues, have various types of autism, need seizure alert or response, need to be alerted to other medical issues like low blood sugar, or have psychiatric disabilities”. Obviously, service dogs help positively affect a massive amount of disabled indivi

Psychologists know that work can be rewarding but can also cause a lot of stress in a person’s life. In Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, where approximately 2.9 million people work for more than 100, 000 companies stress in the workplace is a major issue. You probably spend a third of your life at work, thinking about work or worrying about work . Being a member of a positive workplace has many benefits. A positive work environment can:rn• Enrich your lifern• Provi

Philosophical Counseling or Conventional Psychotherapy? nnPhilosophical counseling is a method of therapy where the practitioner combines the insights and methods of philosophical discourse with traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. Often this combination creates a powerful therapeutic atmosphere for the client. It is a recognized profession which has a certification process through the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. nnHow Philosophical Counseling Diffe

Theory best comes alive with examples of people demonstrating behaviours and today I have a sample of the Holiday Survival Style of the Intellectual that typifies the behaviour of these people. The social expectations of the holidays cause the Intellectual no end of challenge. Generally introverted and focused more on ideas, information and other mental constructs, having a full month of socializing thrust on them can press their self-protective buttons right from the get go.