Latest articles on counselling and therapy

Perhaps you have just left treatment, along with a continued plan for recovery that seems rather lightweight in the wake of peer support from which you have just been separated?Maybe you are feeling alone, very anxious about the immense task of personal recovery that lies before you? Undoubtedly your relationship with drugs, alcohol or gambling has seemed like a huge life crutch upon which you have become dependent; to the extent that there has been little if any control. Your addiction has...

As people, we seem to live by the habits we form, and often these help to form structure in our daily lives. Habits do sometimes become dangerous, however, such as the addictive habits of using drugs, alcohol, food or gambling in response perhaps to life difficulties or to make yourself feel better. Habits like these are not easy to change. Think about your own lifestyle for a moment – I imagine there are things that you like doing when you get up in the morning, like having a cup of tea...

This is a type of addiction that is not as widely known but can still be as debilitating as other high profile addictions. Ultimately, the addiction can keep the individual stuck in despair for a very long time. It also operates at a very unconscious level which makes it quite difficult for the person to recognise and identify. It is not as visible as other addictions. For instance, there is no bottle or syringe, only an array of broken dreams, relationships and aspirations. The addiction...

Changing anxious habits or behaviours can be very challenging. While many of us would prefer to seek instant solutions to break old habits, this can often lead to frustration and disappointment. For one reason or another most of us have felt trapped in a pattern of anxious thinking and behaving that disrupts our progress. We may feel caught by our own impulses and defensive reactions to situations, or imprisoned by anxious thoughts and preoccupations. We are often our own worst enemies: making...

The root of any addiction or compulsion is deprivation: deep-seated, buried, chronic deprivation. The link is often not apparent at first, and the idea of losing the need to control to gain control might seem too contradictory to fathom - especially when we are in the midst of a painful addiction. If we were to peel back, one layer after another, to the root of what now seems to be an unruly beast, we often find a tender seed of deprived need. Sometimes, the link is clear. Perhaps as a child...

It’s hard to talk about the effects of growing up with parental addiction despite much more evidence showing us the long-term impact this can have. There is still so much shame around this experience and the need to protect the family often makes it very hard to acknowledge the effects. One in three people are addicted to something; it is a reality our society struggles to acknowledge given that the figures are staggering. Often children blame themselves when they can’t make sense...

Individuals working in the high octane world of financial risk taking are often at risk of anxiety based conditions and active addictions. The intense pressure to meet sales targets and to be successful in such a competitive environment as the city can generate a breeding ground for addiction. Such a climate can fuel an indulgent culture that can see endemic abuse of substances. Work addiction effectively gets rewarded by some financial institutions in sectors such as...

If this is you, at some point in a journey of recovery from an addiction that has possibly dominated and controlled your life for a long time, then make this day count. Each day is a new beginning with countless possibilities and your main challenge is just to get through each day. Perhaps you have spent some time in a treatment centre going through detox and learning some skills to help yourself in your new life? If this is so, then maybe life is seeming daunting now that you are on your own...

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy can help you to be balanced in both your decisions and your emotions. It is a form of talking therapy that was originally devised by an American Psychologist called Marsha Linehan, as a result of her own serious mental health issues. Experience has taught that delivering training in DBT alongside 12 step programmes in addiction treatment has been very positive. Clients have mostly been enthusiastic about DBT skills training describing, it as “inspiring and...