Therapy and Counseling Articles

What is ‘negative self talk’? Negative self talk is a pattern of talking to yourself either out loud or inside your head that consists of statements that are not only negative but usually inaccurate and self defeating. Negative self talk stems from negative thinking and is experienced by most people at some times but is more commonly experienced by people who suffer from depression and ADHD. It is usually done subconsciously and automatically.

The opportunity to enjoy sex is one of the great things about being gay. Some people say that being gay means they feel less restricted and more free sexually in terms of what they can do with their bodies, with who and when. But many people struggle with feelings of guilt, shame and fear associated with being told gay sex is not 'normal' or 'natural' or 'right' in some way. Enjoying Sex. These ideas that certain types of sex are 'not normal', 'unnatural' or 'wrong' are a result of fear and prejudice.

In the absence of being able to express their emotions and connect with the organizational identity, employees are expected to adapt to role driven behaviour. This can result in a decrease in an employee’s ability to contribute anything more than what is defined by the role, leaving both leaders and employees frustrated. In addition the burnout suffered by employees who have been forced into excessive adaptation increases. The only emotions that they are able to express are those required by their roles and acceptable to their leaders.

The top question we get at our busy Live Expert Help area of our web site (http://www.youthchg.com) where we answer youth professionals' queries on almost any topic, is "How do I get kids-- especially hard-to-manage ones-- to behave?" Teachers and other educators are especially troubled that their training has not even begun to prepare them to manage the severe misbehavior that they see more and more every year. But, we hear from youth professionals and para-professionals from all disciplines, that their training has not "kept up" with the changes in the kids.

Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D., LMFT San Jose Counseling and Psychotherapyrn(408) 264-3082

The Place of Compassion If you think of disapproval and approval of people as two opposite ends of a continuum, where would you put compassion? It's a trick question. Compassion doesn't even belong on that continuum. Compassion is something wholly different. You will automatically tend to sit in judgment on whatever you disapprove of. "That's wrong." "That's inappropriate." "That's ridiculous." Even saying these words out loud probably makes you feel a little bit negative, and you can feel in that negativity the seeds of judgment.

When people begi CBT counseling they understandably hope that things will gradually improve in a smooth and upwardly linear way. However, the changes that you will be attempting to make through CBT counseling are challenging particularly if you are working to change behaviours that helps you to cope in the short term (e.g. eating disordered behaviours, alcohol/drug abuse). Added to this is the fact that in order to resolve a problem you must focus on it, an increased awareness of your problem will make it feel more significant.

Summary In this story of a teenage boy struggling with obesity, you will learn how it feels to be overweight and how family dynamics can fuel emotional eating. We'll discuss some obesity information and national trends, and we'll go over a solid program for making exercise a habit for life. Manuel's Battle with Obesityr

Practice the select Self Improvement Techniques for a while. They will be perfected with continuous feedback. Dear friends and friends we have not met yet, Dr. Aznavour highly appreciates receiving feedback from all who care to enlarge the Winners Circle. Kindly contact: LouiseAznavour@stayingupbeat.com or (514) 954-1351 Visit>> www.LouiseAznavour.com GOODBYE STRESS - HELLO SUCCESS e-book & AudioBook by Dr. Louise Aznavour, Clinical Psychologist contains Cognitive Behavior Therapy based self help techniques for healthy living. visit>>> www.LouiseAznavour.com

"Hearing with the heart improves our focus, memory, and connection with what needs to be heard and understood. Hearing with the heart is an action of discipline, which transforms hearing into empathic listening." --Suzanne Kyra Hearing—the first sense developed in utero—connects the fetus to ...

In psychotherapy and hypnosis I often see the interplay of psychological and physiological symptoms. Clients with anxiety may report difficulty sleeping or neck, shoulder or back pain. Others may report headaches, irritable bowel, or increase in their asthma.

It seems that a lot of behaviors that used to be considered pathological, due to social tolerance or simply public statements and manifestations, are starting to be considered "normal" in time, which can be quite a relief for the patients too ashamed or afraid of social stigma to seek help. One just couldn't talk about role playing or dildos 40 or 50 years ago because one would have been immediately labeled as a sex freak.

Depression and suicidal moods Have you ever been so depressed, you felt like life was bleak and nobody cared? Sometimes you do not even notice that your behaviour is actually induced due to chemical imbalances in the brain. Counselling could actually help resolve your deep set emotional issues but there are also cases which warrant a need for the sufferer to be put on psychiatric medication. A lot of people are against psychiatric medication regiments but it might just be the thing to save your life.

How do You Feel Unsafe? It appears that the human experience has largely evolved into one where many people are experiencing the lack of feeling safe. The number of ways in which that appears in our lives is something that we need to bring into our awareness so that we can change our experiences. Yet much of it is hidden unde eath the many assumptions that we make in how we perceive the world around us. It is hard wired into our brains that we keep ourselves safe. Fight or flight is a standard evolutionary response designed to alert us to potential physical dangers.

We believe that through focusing on their personal development, people can learn to handle emotions intelligently, and in doing so increase their ability to succeed in personal and professional relationships. Emotional self-awareness is the core of emotional intelligence. Knowing one's emotional state allows the possibility of expressing feelings appropriately, or making the choice to withhold the expression of the emotion - in other words, managing one’s emotional responses.

As human beings we have a tendency to stay stuck in patterns- We are creatures of routines. A pattern doesn't have to be enjoyable for us to repeat it, just familiar. It is what we naturally do without intervention. Some of our patterns are positive (our waking up routine, putting on a seat ...

Most simply stated, empathy is the ability to put oneself in another's shoes - and also the willingness to respond to the person's needs. I believe it's one of the most important components of a happy, healthy relationship. Lack of empathy is a very common problem with couples. Many people never ...

The Striving Styles Personality System shows how we can take greater control of our mental health. Mental health was originally defined as the absence of mental illness. The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". Therefore, self-awareness is indeed the key to creating mental health.

If there's one thing that we all seek - it's happiness. I've never met a person who has told me they didn't want to be happy, have you? When I do individual therapy, I have the opportunity to sit down with people as they present their conce s to me - whatever they may be. They usually seek ...

1. The Function Of An Eating Disorder - The Cinema Analogy An eating disorder is a kind of coping strategy, it provides a way of dealing with the difficult things that life throws at you by blocking out, distracting or shielding you to some extend from the distressing thoughts and feelings that are provoked.

If we were to try and reflect the gifts that we've given or received during a certain year it would take time and effort for us to recall. Some may be coninued to be enjoyed by the person receiving it, others may be broken or lost. A Gift of Health, whether it be a gym membership or our Hypnosis Gift Certificate, is something that not only helps someone now, but benefits them for the rest of their life.

Did you ever notice that we often do or don't do things because we are worried about what others will think? It's kind of silly if you think about it, but I know so many of us are guilty of it! It takes a lot of work and self-awareness to really start to change that. So I am giving you the gift of sight and awareness right now. Check in with yourself throughout the day and notice how often you are saying "yes" when you mea "no" and also take a look at your life and ask yourself what you would do if you weren't worried about what others thought.

If you are having problems in your marriage, depression may be part of the reason. Recent studies have indicated that depression is associated with the quality of a relationship. Additionally, the quality of a relationship can affect a person’s level of depression. Not surprisingly, someone who is depressed will tend to pay less attention to their partner’s needs, be less connected, and be more irritable. In the reverse, relationship problems such as poor communication, verb

Life is full of stressors. I once heard Norman Vincent Peale say that the only people without problems and stress were 'all those people buried over there in that cemetery'. He was right. If we are alive, we have plenty of triggers for stress. But it's how we choose to respond to something that determines how stressful it is to us. It's important to pay attention to your stress level. Being chronically stressed is deadly! Here are eleven great ways to lead a more stress free life.

Attract the Life of Your Dreams with Words I Excerpted from Transform Your Life Instantly: Mental Erasers Make the Law of Attraction Work for You Instead of Against You © 2005, 2nd Edition 2010, Adele Tartaglia This article is about how Conscious Languaging, the intentional use of words, manifests your goals without effort. It’s about having the life of your dreams. It’s about the importance of words, believed, spoken or thought.

We are seeing an influx of children coming into treatment in numbers that historically have been much lower. Education about mental health difficulties, changes in attitudes about therapy from the aftermath of 9/11 and a general acceptance of therapy as a consultation for healthy people going ...

Question: I've just had a baby a three weeks ago and I am feeling really depressed. Even though the baby is healthy and I have lots of help, I am still not excited about this whole process and I am really down. My recovery has been difficult and I don't feel like doing anything. How do I ...

By understanding the different needs, approaches, strengths and weaknesses of each of the Striving Styles, the organization can maximize a team’s effectiveness by harnessing the natural energy that is engaged when individuals can meet their own needs through teamwork.

Over the years I have consulted with friends, family members, and clients, about potential rental properties, and real estate purchases. One of the benefits of intuition is that information comes any time and any where. Although meeting face to face is more personal, modern technology now gives us the opportunity to converse, and see one another online. And phone sessions are convenient, and expedient, when something needs to be clarified quickly, like house hunting.

Do you feel stuck and unable to get beyond anxiety, depression and traumatic memories? Do you feel a victim of your emotions?

How well can you read your pet’s behavior? Most owners know when their animals are stressed, and usually, when they are sick. But, how many people trust their intuition when it comes to their animal’s well being and health care? In this post I will share some amazing animal stories which involve acting on my psychic sense. Recently I was also asked to medically intuit, for a client’s beloved cat. It is not something I am called on to do very often. I set my intention clearly and asked for specific information, the same way I do when I channel on health related issues for people.

How present are you during this time of year? Are you so busy that you lose touch with the meaning of the season? Are you too stressed out to really enjoy time with your family? Do you struggle to remember what it’s all about? Is it difficult to stay focused on the joy and hope of the season? Would you like to enjoy yourself and your family more?

Because of several highly publicized deaths from combining Suboxone with benzodiazepines or “benzos”—a class of sedative medications that includes Xanax and Valium—I am frequently asked about the safety of combining Suboxone with those medications. The risk of life-threatening respiratory depression can be mitigated fairly easily, but that does not mean that benzos are safe or appropriate medications for people with or without addictions.

People who struggle with setting boundaries for themselves often struggle with saying "no." Using that word can literally bring up discomfort for them. For this reason, they over commit, don't end up with any time for themselves and can even be taken advantage of by others. Their friends, ...

Self-improvement advice on virtually any topic that interests us, written from endless points of views, is right at our fingertips. Most of the articles I write are of this genre, often with a New Age slant. Websites like SelfGrowth.com and Curezone.com are entirely devoted to this topic. A simple Google search will lead us to prayers, meditations, affirmations, and mantras that are aimed at helping us through troubling times. With all that knowledge readily available to us i

MMT can be defined as: the direct application of mindfulness to the present felt-sense of an emotional complex to facilitate transformation, resolution and healing. DIRECT APPLICATION means that the individual trains to establish and sustain a quality of relationship with the inner experience of an emotion, called the Mindfulness Based Relationship. The quality of the MBR is the key factor that will determine the successful outcome of MMT.

An overly rambunctious and active child can be a challenge to any parent. Every child has the tendency to display hyperactive behavior, and it’s therefore important that every parent understands how to best handle this behavior when it appears.* Hyperactivity and restlessness is the result of a child that is easily bored and who has difficulty with concentration. This does not mean that there is anything “wrong” with the child, it simply means that they have an active and stimulated mind—a mind that can sometimes feel cluttered and unorganized.

To be honest, there are no clear cut signs when it comes to having self-sabotaging behavior. Although a lot has been said about the most common indicators of this particular behavior, it will still vary from one person to another. However, if we talk about the disadvantages of having this trait, the affected individuals will normally encounter certain disadvantages. These are presented below.

Is there something holding you back from fulfilling relationships, health, career or prosperity? If so, there is an easy way to find out what is blocking your progress. Anyone can change their life through the use the pendulum and Spiritual Response Technique (SRT). This precise system is a very practical way to identify and clear issues or challenges that come our way. Prosperity increases, relationships become empowered and careers are clarified. In comparison to tradition

Anxiety is one of the most frequent reasons for clients entering treatment. It appears in combination with other symptoms, as well as appearing by itself. Many times people deal with anxiety themselves. Other times the anxiety is too great or cannot be sufficiently lessened or eliminated and the ...

Although parenting can be one of the most rewarding and joyful roles in the world, at the same time it can also be one of the most demanding, frustrating, exhausting and even overwhelming jobs in the world. If you are like most parents, you know that parenting a child can sometimes be really hard. Parents are on demand 24/7.

Dealing with Grief & Loss Shock, Denial, Numbness, Disbelief -The pain exists, but you may not experience it fully yet. Your body, mind, and spirit take over to help you survive. Physiological symptoms can include: stomach aches, nausea, & insomnia -Grief does not always get easier as time passes; you will have some days that are better than others. Disorganization, Searching, and Yearning

CBT is currently recognised by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (a government body responsible for deciding which treatment should be available on the NHS) as the most effective treatment for the a range of emotional problems including: * Depression * Low Self Esteem * Anxiety * Panic Attacks * Eating Disorder * Obsessive Compulsive Disorders * Post Traumatic Stress Disorder * Somatic Problems (including chronic pain and chronic fatigue/ME)

Recognizing Anger Non Physical Signs * Controlling decisions * Isolating from friends, school, family * Having extreme standards * Blaming, insulting, name calling, threatening, questioning or checking up Violent- No Contact * Reckless driving * Throwing things, punching things, destroying objects * Cruelty to animals or children Violent Contact: * Holding down, pushing, shoving, twisting arms, grabbing, etc. * Slapping, spanking, punching, burning * Choking, banging head, hair pullingr

What is trust? How have we learned to define it? Is it really a concept that works? Trust this, don't trust that, this person is trustworthy, that person is not. You could liken it to using the crosswalk to safely cross the street, trust being the supposedly safe crossing through a potentially unsafe world. Yet how many of you readers have been hit by a car in this crosswalk of trust? I think I heard a resounding yes from everyone. Multiple yeses from most people.

Although suicide is a fairly heavy topic and conjures up all kinds of negative images, nevertheless it should be talked about, however briefly within this scope. When deciding what aspects to cover with this topic, and there are many, I decided to talk about risk assessment. One of the most important aspects of my job while working with high risk clients was knowing how to act fast in the face of suicidal ideations. If you or someone you know is expressing suicidal thoughts

What benefit is it to the organization if short-term goals are met but a leader’s behaviour contributes to employee unrest, sabotage, or high turnover with loss of skills and knowledge? Leaders must be aware of how their behaviour impacts on the motivation and performance of their employees. How leaders expect others to behave determines how they themselves act toward them. If they have negative expectations (beliefs) about someone, their behaviour will reflect how they feel, and they are likely to get the behaviour they expect. This, of course, can severely impact performance outcomes.

2017 promises to be the year of the detox cleanse. Many people swear by them and more and more health practitioners recommend them, whether it's to eliminate toxins, lose weight, or just get a fresh start. There are a multitude of detox cleanses plans and what follows are a few examples of some of the most popular cleanses: Colon Cleanse.r

As I signed into the afte oon shift of my job as social worker in the dementia ward of the geriatric hospital in the heart of the Negev desert in Dimona Israel, there was some uneasiness in the air. Nothing defined - but a feeling of a great impending sadness. The panoramic windows had the usual view of the desert, serene beauty, silence, blue skies and orange cliffs. The patients, all with varying stages of Alzheimer's disease, greeted me with various degrees of pleasure or indifference, and got to work in the Snoozelen.

In last weeks NY Times magazine, an article written by Daniel Carlat, M.D., entitled Mind over Meds http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/magazine/25Memoir-t.html?pagewanted=1, raises the hotly debated issue of the value of psychotherapy versus the value of psychotropic medications for treating mental illness. It also raises the issue of the unfortunate state of mental health care that is provided in this country. Dr. Carlat, a psychiatrist and associate clinical professor of psy