Latest articles on counselling and therapy

Executive Functioning Disorder (EFD) is a term being bandied around a lot these days, and not just in the context of adults. In the US and UK, it seems parents are now paying for their children to be taught executive functioning skills by coaches and therapists when they are struggling to start or complete goal-oriented projects such as homework, and are habitually procrastinating as a coping mechanism. In order for children to do well and succeed at school, it is deemed essential that they...

It's normal to feel anxious sometimes, but if you are having a panic attack, you will experience severe levels of anxiety. You may think this means you are having a heart attack, are about to collapse or even die, or think that you’re going mad or completely losing control. During a panic attack, you may feel shortness of breath, tingling sensations, stomach discomfort, a sense of impending doom, trembling, light-headedness, choking sensations, chest tightness pressure or even pain and...

Do you struggle to manage your busy life? Do you feel you have to account for your time with your employer, your wife/husband, even your friends? Is it not enough to be good enough: you have to be a passionate, driven worker, going the extra mile, exceeding expectations; or a super-parent providing structured activities for your children, a sparkling home and food that will nourish and delight the family? With friends you may airbrush the reality of your life to present your best self: groomed,...

Most of us will have experienced the heartbreaking moment when we say goodbye to a beloved pet. Pets play a huge part in our lifestyle, our family dynamics and our emotional state. And, when we lose one, under any circumstances, the loss can be felt for many years.

Losing a pet in a breakup is particularly harrowing as you’re currently dealing with the grief of a relationship breakdown, and trying to come to terms with the loss of your pet, who hasn’t actually passed on.

Written from...

As a nation, we are often deprived of sunshine, even in the summer months. Most of our vitamin D is produced through direct exposure to the sun, hence why it is also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin.’ Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor and thought originally to only play a role in the mineralisation of bones and teeth by maintaining the correct phosphorous/calcium ratio. More recently, however, research has linked low levels of vitamin D with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular...

Talking about money is hard. Whether you’ve not got enough or you’re doing well, it’s not an easy topic to talk about. The boundaries can feel so blurred; are we boasting if we admit we’re doing well? Are we not managing our finances properly if we’re struggling? There are always people worse off than we are - we can’t really complain, can we?

Despite studies showing that more than a fifth of us are stressed by our financial situation (rising to a third, if you’re between 18 to 34), not...

When relationships end, it can be difficult, particularly if you did not want things to change. It may be that a romantic relationship is over, or that a friendship has drifted away despite your best efforts, or even that someone has died. In all of these situations, the relationship between you and the other person is over. However, we construct our reality, and despite this change outside of ourselves, it is not always the case that the relationship is over for us internally. Sometimes you...