The ego is not master in its own house – S. Freud In 2017 the APA publication of Monitor on Psychology published an article titled, “Not Your Great-grandfather’s Psychoanalysis” reviewing some of the valid reasons why psychoanalysis and modern psychoanalytic therapies have somewhat fallen out of favour in the in counselling and therapy. The author, […]
One of the most common trends seen in counselling is the highly capable client who reports a sudden loss in motivation close to achieving a goal in their life. This change in behaviour is often surprising and extremely frustrating to the person seeking help. Often, they may not even know why they feel unmotivated or […]
Body art in the form of tattoos have become more socially acceptable and even desirable in recent years (Wohlrab, Stahl & Kappeler, 2007). You may have read the recent articles about the rise in semi-colon tattoos to reduce stigma regarding mental illness (Gordon, 2015). Whether or not these tattoos speak to you, body art can […]
It started like this: I had a mild feeling of pressure in my chest, but I tried to ignore it. The pressure in my chest became greater and greater until I felt I had to stop and take stock of my breathing. My breathing became faster and shallower. I decided to take my pulse, which […]
We choose the work that we do for many reasons: need to pay the bills, accessibility or interest. Sometimes, if we are lucky we get to choose work that we love. Front line work such as paramedic, police work, firefighter, nurse, doctor, midwife, social worker and many others is a labor of love. Loving your […]
Therapy on Film: Good Press or False Advertising This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week has gotten me thinking…thinking about what how we think of mental health. We each have our own unique paths to feeling well and also our own challenges. One contributor to these challenges may be anxiety in seeking help. Why is this? […]
This is the classic story of burnout, told by one but shared by many. At first it may feel like exhaustion, such as, I should have gotten more sleep because Mondays are a killer. Then it seems like every day is a Monday and getting to work is a chore. Next you may start to […]
National Geographic’s recent two part feature on art therapy and traumatic brain injury (www.nationalgeographic.com/healing-soldiers/) is a vivid and powerful account of using art in the place of words to express the profound. Art can be a concrete representation of one’s internal organization (or disorganization for that matter). There are many examples of how art can […]
The words trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are words that are being used a lot in mainstream conversations and the media, but what does it really mean? According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a collection of […]
“To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.” ― Simone de Beauvoir When we hear the words body image it may bring to mind looking at ourselves in the mirror, but this is not exactly what the term means. Body image is a psychological representation or how you see yourself in your […]