Counselling and psychotherapy are associated with traumatic events, but when someone thinks of examples of where it might be used they often think of dramatic happenings such as returning from war, witnessing murder or other such traumas. However, trauma can come from smaller incidents too.
During a robbery at the Bookers Cash and Carry in Wrexham earlier this month, two members of staff on duty were threatened by the criminals.
Although nobody was hurt during the ordeal, events such as this can be alarming for anybody and all staff members at the Felin Puleston Booker site have been offered counselling by the company. One patient from the site was (more…)
According to an article in the Express & Star, figures released to them under the Freedom of Information Act have shown almost 1,000 police staff members in the West Midlands alone have had to take time off work citing stress as the cause in the last three years with over half of these being front line officers.
Post-traumatic stress is something that perhaps we may expect our police force to suffer from with the things they have to see and do in their day to day work but over reasons given included depression and anxiety.
The figures are from the period of April 2006 to March 2009 and show 959 police force staff from the West Midlands police force, ranging from constables to operations centre offices and telephone operators. West Midlands police explained some of these absences were for external reasons such as bereavement and they have a counselling section to help staff.
A retired police superintendent John Mellor, (more…)
Whether or not psychotherapy and counselling can save a marriage from the brink of a divorce is a question that many people tend to ask before making an appointment to see a therapist. According to one article in The Times earlier this month, the answer is yes.
The couple featured in the article were at the point of seeking a divorce; the wife had had an affair that she had ended and wanted to work through their problems but naturally mistrust had crept into the relationship. Over a period of six weeks, the couple met with a therapist to discuss issues within their relationship, how to work their problems out and eighteen months later the couple are happily together.
Asking for outside help can seem difficult for many couples and families, as you are effectively involving a third party in what may (more…)
Most people have a fear of one thing or another; a certain level of fear is perfectly healthy. However, when that fear starts to interfere with day to day life or prevent someone from living a normal life, then that fear is generally known as a phobia.
Hypnotherapy helps phobias very quickly, often in as little as just one session and hypnotherapists see many people every week for a fear of one sort or another. The most common fear in the UK is a fear of spiders otherwise known as arachnophobia, but other common phobias include a fear of heights, needles, dogs or insects. A few of the treatments available to cure phobias include counselling, hypnosis and psychotherapy.
If you were to ask any (more…)
In the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the results of a controlled, randomised trial showed that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may help older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).
Only pilot studies were conducted in primary care, where late life adults often seek treatment for GAD. CBT has been shown to be effective in treating panic disorder in younger patients, GAD and both in addition to being effective for older patients suffering from depression. However, the treatment response rates and effect sizes were lower than for academic clinical trials.
The study took 134 older adults and these were (more…)
In the area of counselling and psychotherapy, there are around a hundred different codes of practice and complaints procedures in the UK.
In recent years, there have been many attempts at working towards a central process for handling complaints but this was derailed last year, effectively ending the final goal of a national register for therapists.
The vast majority of psychotherapists are genuine, however, the one or two bad eggs receive much publicity in the media and naturally give cause for concern to many clients who need counselling or psychotherapy services, so it is important to make sure that (more…)
It is important in any case of therapy, of whatever kind, that you feel comfortable with your therapist and in this case the psychotherapist. However, that is not the only thing to watch for so here are a few pointers to help you spot a good psychotherapist:
- Member of a governing body is important, but not the be all and end all. Check out any bodies that the psychotherapist is a member of to make sure that they are genuine
- Personal signs: if the therapist seems (more…)
Counsellors and psychotherapists alike are said to be angry that the NHS is playing down the role that psychotherapy and counselling plays in the treatment of depression.
Their National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2004 guidelines prioritised CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and interpersonal therapies as the best ones to treat depression, however, the latest revision of the NICE guidelines state that patients should be warned and advised about the ‘uncertainty’ of the effectiveness of the treatment in the case of depression.
This has resulted in a backlash from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) which accuses the NHS of playing down the important role that psychotherapy can play and denying patient choice.
Chair of BACP, Lynne Gabriel, commented:
“While the tone of these statements does not inspire confidence in counselling and psychotherapy, the impact on choice of therapy is of major concern. In our response, we will question the rationale and methodology that informs the NICE downgrading of counselling and psychotherapy as therapies of choice for mild to moderate depression.”
Psychotherapy and CBT are still being recommended by the NHS for depression and can prove very effective in the treatment of depression.
A child’s fear or phobia can be difficult for a parent to assess. Sometimes it can seem like nothing serious and indeed may fizzle out, however, it is important not to dismiss them. Even those that appear to fizzle out can sometimes rear their head again in a year or two, or even as an adult, and (more…)
Alcoholism is a fast rising problem in the UK, as our culture of binge drinking does not seem to be reducing despite the government’s efforts to tackle the problem.
Alcholics affect not only their own lives but the lives of their friends and family and others around them. Factors contributing to the problem of alcoholism include a person’s (more…)