We can all experience times when our problems seem difficult to manage. This may be the result of a recent bereavement, job loss or the end of a relationship or perhaps an ongoing issue. Whatever the cause, contacting a psychotherapist can be a helpful step forward.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is an area you would like to discuss which is not listed here.
To learn more about different types of therapy (psychotherapy, CBT and couple counselling):
There are many different types of abuse; domestic violence, child abuse, emotional and child abuse. These are abusive behaviours that cause deliberate harm and great distress. The impact on mental health can be long lasting. Therapy is a safe space where you can talk without fear or judgement and receive emotional support to help you move forward.
Constant anger can be a destructive and dangerous emotion. Anger and adrenaline trigger responses such as a raised heart beat and palpitations which over a period of time can lead to psychological and health problems including depression and anxiety. Anger can also have a negative and destructive impact on relationships at work and home causing tension, unhappiness and relationship breakdown.
Counselling and CBT can help you to look at your thoughts, feelings and behaviour and help you to learn to manage your feelings, communicate less aggressively and turn your anger into a more constructive response.
Anxiety can be beneficial in some situations e.g. when we have to run to catch a train or be alert for a meeting but a constant feeling of anxiety can be debilitating or overwhelming. Psychotherapy can help you look at some of the causes of your anxiety and understand your responses so you are better equipped to manage and even overcome anxious feelings.
Losing a loved one is a painful time when we try to come to terms with loss. This can affect us in different ways, feelings of numbness, great sadness and even anger. Talking about losing a loved one or something of value such as a job or home and how it is affecting your life can help you to deal with difficult feelings, develop coping mechanisms and work toward coming to terms with your bereavement. We work at your own pace to support you on a short or long term basis.
Depression is more than a low mood. It can leave you feeling as though you are not getting any enjoyment out of life, feeling hopeless, lacking energy, sleeping a lot or very little, losing your appetite or comfort eating. If your negative feelings don’t go away then getting some extra support from a therapist gives you a safe space to talk through your troubling feelings, look at the causes of your depression and work towards making some life changes which can help you manage your low feelings in the long term.
Sometimes relationships do not work out and couples separate or divorce. This leaves both partners with painful feelings of sadness and regret and a difficult period of transition. You may feel it is hard to pick up the pieces as you have lost friends, possibly the home you shared and may have to cope with looking after your children as well. Sharing some of the stages of separation and divorce through therapy can provide you with needed non-judgemental support where you can talk about some of the stages you are going through in a safe space and think about planning your future.
Our family is often the first place we turn to for support, love and comfort. However, this is not always the case and families can instead be associated with stress, misunderstanding, anger and separation. Family problems challenge each of us at different times and can sometimes affect your physical and mental health. Speaking to an independent professional can offer a safe space to discuss your concerns without fear of judgement and time to work through some of your difficulties.
Some people find it easy to get pregnant and others can take longer. Difficulties concerning fertility can affect your relationship and effect you physically and emotionally. Counselling can provide a confidential space to discuss feelings such as anger, guilt, loss and anxiety you or your partner may be feeling and help you to develop coping strategies to continue or end your fertility treatment.
Being able to sleep well at night is something we take for granted and it is only when we have difficulty sleeping that we recognise its effect on our physical and mental well-being. Talking with a therapist can help you explore potential issues, past and present which may be affecting your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
Sometimes our relationships can feel like such hard work that we think about whether it is worth continuing or whether we should end them. Difficult relationships can be with family members, close friends or partners. Talking about your concerns with an independent professional can give you much needed space to think about your issues with a relationship and whether you can work towards resolving them. Some relationships may be too difficult to continue and we can also discuss how you feel about endings.
Having a healthy degree of self-esteem is important to manage and enjoy our lives but difficult experiences in childhood or adulthood can lead to a loss in self-worth. This may lead to persistent negative thinking and stopping various activities because of fear of failure and lack of self-confidence. Counselling can look at origins of low self-esteem, explore how earlier experiences might have effected you and how this might be improved. CBT can teach you to recognise the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Through counselling or CBT, it is possible to change a negative interpretation of ourselves and improve low self-esteem.
Feeling stressed affects us in different ways. We may lose concentration, experience loss in appetite, loss of libido and generally feel irritable. There are many different reasons to feel stressed in our lives, sometimes it is work or family pressures and it can be the result of unresolved long term problems. We work with you, at your own pace to explore the cause of your stress and towards developing your own way of managing stressful situations in the present and future.
Many people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. It may a car accident, abuse or witness to a violent act. People recover for these events overtime with the support of family or friends but some people find it much harder to get over and it can leave them feeling anxious, fearful and depressed. Therapy can help those affected come to an understanding of their feelings and responses they are experiencing.
Workplace stress is common and may be due to bullying, the threat of losing your job or difficulty finding employment again. Our response may be physical , immediate and uncontrollable resulting in headaches, insomnia and tiredness. Long term stress can contribute to anxiety, depression and irritability. Speaking about these issues in therapy can help you work through the issues which are causing it.
