November to December 2009
Lewis Psychology CIC Director, Teresa Lewis, endorses book for Sage
International publishing house Sage and authors Phil Joyce and Charlotte Sills were so impressed with Teresa's review of the first edition of 'Skills in Gestalt Counselling and Psychotherapy' that they asked her to endorse the second edition.
Skills in Gestalt Counselling & Psychotherapy, Second Edition is a practical introduction to the application of the Gestalt approach at each stage of the therapeutic process. Taking the reader through these stages, the book focuses on skills which arise out of Gestalt theory as well as those invoked by the therapeutic relationship.
As well as offering guidance on practice issues affecting counsellors such as assessment and treatment considerations, using a variety of Gestalt techniques, and developing client awareness, this fully updated edition has been expanded to represent new developments in the psychotherapy field. New material includes:
- the implications of neuroscience and psychotherapy outcome research for the therapeutic relationship
- new chapters exploring action research, disturbed and disturbing clients, and gestalt supervision and coaching
- short-term work in primary care and the NHS.
This is an ideal text for use on counselling and counselling skills courses, especially those training in Gestalt, and recommended reading for anyone who uses Gestalt skills in their work. The second edition is released this month (November 2009).
A drink, a doze and a family row: it's the official British Christmas
Chocolate before breakfast, drinks before midday, a blazing family row, and nodding off by 5pm: welcome to the modern British Christmas.
According to one of the biggest surveys of Christmas Day habits, arguin
g has become a key element of the occasion, replacing more peaceful traditions such as going to church or sitting down for the Queen's Speech.
On average, the first festive flare-up happens just before 10am, well after the stocking presents have been opened but - perhaps crucially - before the first alcoholic drink.
However, it comes after breakfast at 9am - which is not the first food of the day, as that is now chocolate, consumed at 8.39am.
According to the survey of more than 4,000 British households, the main causes of conflict are the stress caused by cooking the "perfect" Christmas lunch, arguments over what to watch on TV, and children trashing the perfectly tidied house.
Experts say tension is inevitable because of the high expectations of the day and a combustible mix of family, fatigue and drink. Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: "Christmas is a national exercise in stress. We all want to be the centre of attention and we all want to be right. It is pretty difficult to stay adult.
"You are also recreating your old family - your 26-year-old son comes to stay in his old bedroom. You recreate all the conditions of family conflict."
He added: "Most people are not great cooks and get themselves into a state of great anxiety about producing a Michelin-standard meal. There are also the perennial disagreements about the men letting the women do all the work. We all get tired but we still love it."
Amid all the conflict, the first alcoholic drink of the day is poured before the morning is out, at 11.48am, with Christmas dinner not under way until 3.24pm. The average bedtime is before midnight - but the turkey-stuffed will start nodding off from about 5pm.
The survey, commissioned by the makers of Jarlsberg cheese, found some families still kept the Christmas traditions of churchgoing and watching the Queen's Speech. These are now observed by only 13 per cent and 27 per cent of people respectively.
Source; The London Evening Standard - 2nd December 2009
Job vacancy
We are currently looking for a BSL sessional counsellor and a number of bilingual counsellors. Please view our jobs section for further details.
Beat stress during the recession
If you're one of thousands left worrying about losing their jobs as the UK endures the longest recession since records began, reduce your stress by seeking out all available information on the current economic situation affecting your workplace. Knowing what's likely to happen, even if it's pretty bad news, can help you to manage the situation, whereas 'not knowing' can cause panic.
To ensure that we remain healthy during the recession it is important that we manage these situations and learn to tackle stress in a healthy and effective way. It is also important to:
- Communicate at home - talk to friends and family about how things might be affecting you, as this can help you prepare for different eventualities.
- Exercise regularly - keeping fit and healthy is vital. Even if it's just a walk at lunchtime or taking the stairs rather than the lift, it's good to get the blood circulating to refresh your outlook.
- Take control when you can - try not to worry when you cannot. Often the things that cause us major stress are factors that seem beyond our control. If you know you can't control something, there's no use overly worrying about it.
- Take a reality check - stress, fear, worry and anxiety can all fester and breed, leading to a whirlwind of panic and hysteria. Getting things into proportion is key to assimilating the reality of a situation and gaining control.
- Eat healthily - this can have a dramatic effect on how we feel about ourselves and planning a healthy, balanced diet can provide our bodies with the optimum fuel to cope better with busy, hectic lifestyles.
- Engage in some TLC - it's important to be able to take 'time out' and connect with our family and friends. But it is equally important to take time for yourself as well. Treat yourself and indulge in healthy relaxation such as reading or a hot bath.
- Let things go - we all have a perfectionist streak in us to some degree, yet this can cause us to 'beat ourselves up' about things that don't go according to plan. Learn to give yourself a break and not be too hard on yourself if things don't work out the way you'd like them to.
- Maintain work-life balance - make a conscious effort to differentiate between your home life and your work life. This means not talking about work at home - or working at home in the evenings - and cocooning your home life from work.
- Share your problems - often, we feel stressed because we feel trapped with no obvious way out. Seeing a counsellor can be really helpful to find ways forward, look at options for change and manage or cope with difficult situations.
Talking to a counsellor about feelings can often ease pressure and strain, and assist in finding ways to cope. Many workplaces provide free counselling support for their employees via an independent external service, such as an Employee Assistance Programme.
Greater awareness needed to reduce bullying at work
Currently there is neither a clear definition of bullying in the workplace, nor a law against it. It has therefore become very difficult for employers and employees to get to grips with the problem. In addition employers can have a tendency to measure the problem by the number of complaints that have been received. This leads to the mistaken belief that bullying is only about the cases that are formally investigated.
To address bullying we need first to address the low-level behaviours, which are often the precursors to bullying.
Low-level behaviours that employers need to look out for include:
- Excluding people from emails
- Creating exclusive cliques
- Briefing against other employees
- Leaving people out of the tea-round or lunchtime trip to the pub
- Making critical comments
- Creating a hostile environment
If employers and employees joined together and refused to accept such behaviour we would see a reduction in bullying and a huge improvement in staff well-being.
For more information click: Workplace Bullying.
Emotional support key after diagnosis of dyslexia
Dyslexic students need high levels of emotional support and the positive reactions of parents, peers and teachers, in order to prevent their diagnosis from negatively affecting their academic success and sense of identity and wellbeing.
This is the conclusion of research by Professor Robert Burden of the University of Exeter, which was presented on, Saturday 10 October 2009, at the Annual Conference of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). The event took place at Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The study aimed to investigate the developing sense of identity of adolescent students who suffer from dyslexia. It examined whether they necessarily develop poor feelings of self-esteem and learned helplessness and, if not, what might be some of the key factors contributing to positive feelings of self-worth and ultimate academic success.
More than 80 students participated in the study, completing interviews which aimed to identify key incidents and persons in their lives that had helped shape their views of themselves as learners.
The research identified significant differences in the self-identity and academic success between those students attending a specialist school for dyslexics and those from comprehensive schools, which appeared to be related to the support received and quality of their learning experiences.
Professor Burden said: "Dyslexics are first and foremost human beings trying to make sense of the difficulties, the reasons for which are often overlooked or misunderstood by schools, teachers, and sometimes even parents. How they are responded to will therefore play an important part in their developing view of themselves and their later sense of well being. My research has identified key milestones in their developing sense of identity, and shown that, in many cases, a therapeutic approach is needed by the time they reach secondary school and beyond."
BACP issues warning that new depression guidelines may harm patients
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has today issued a warning that the new depression guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) could mean a narrowing of the options available to those being treated for depression, Britain's number one mental health concern.
Dr Lynne Gabriel Chair of BACP said: "BACP welcomes NICE's recommendations to support counselling and psychotherapy in general to treat depression. But we are worried that the narrow focus of the new guidelines could be used to promote one form of talking treatment - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - at the expense of the full range of psychological therapies. The evidence is clear that CBT can only be of benefit to some 50 per cent of depressed patients rising to just over 70 per cent when symptoms specially lend themselves to a CBT approach".
All patients with long-term illnesses will be assessed for mental health problems under new guidelines issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Depression can be up to three times more common in those suffering from chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease but because of the focus on primary physical symptoms the mental distress can often go undiagnosed. The new guidelines will tell GPs to do routine screens for depression in all cases of serious illness.
NICE also released updated guidelines on treatment of general depression, suggesting that psycho-social or talking therapies should be the first treatment option for people with mild or moderate depression rather than medication
Source: BACP website; Ref: 206. Accessed: 07th November 2009
