Blog and Resources

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) stands as a powerful and evidence-based therapeutic approach known for its effectiveness in managing various mental health conditions. Let's explore the techniques of CBT and their impact on mental well-being: Understanding CBT: Core...

Healthy relationships, whether with family, friends, or partners, play a pivotal role in shaping our mental well-being. Let's delve into how fostering healthy connections positively impacts mental health: Understanding Healthy Relationships: Support and Understanding:...

Loneliness, often misunderstood, can profoundly impact mental health and overall well-being. Understanding its effects and discovering ways to combat loneliness is pivotal. Let's explore the impact of loneliness on mental health and strategies to foster connection:...

Resilience—the ability to bounce back from challenges and adapt in the face of adversity—is a powerful skill that can be cultivated and strengthened. Let's explore strategies that empower individuals to build resilience in navigating life's difficulties: Understanding...

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, influencing how we connect, communicate, and perceive the world. However, its impact on mental health raises important concerns. Understanding this influence and fostering a healthier relationship with social...

Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that affect individuals physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Shedding light on these disorders and understanding how to support recovery is essential. Let's delve into the nuances of eating disorders and...

Children's mental health is a crucial aspect of their overall well-being and development. As parents or caregivers, understanding how to support children's mental health and recognizing warning signs is fundamental. Here's a guide to fostering children's mental...

Achieving a harmonious balance between professional commitments and personal life is essential for overall well-being. Juggling work and personal responsibilities can be challenging, but adopting effective strategies can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life....

Our relationship with our bodies can significantly impact our mental well-being. Body image—a person's perception of their physical appearance—plays a profound role in shaping self-esteem, confidence, and overall mental health. Let's delve into the intricate...

Losing a loved one is an inevitable part of life, yet coping with grief can feel overwhelming and isolating. It's essential to acknowledge the pain and find healthy ways to navigate through the grieving process. Here are strategies that can help in dealing with grief...

Mental health stigma persists as a barrier, preventing many from seeking help and receiving the support they deserve. It's time to confront the misconceptions and stigmas surrounding mental health issues and foster a more inclusive and compassionate society. Let's...

Sleep is not just a nightly ritual; it's a crucial pillar of our overall well-being, especially when it comes to mental health. The relationship between sleep and mental well-being is intricate and profound. Let's delve into the importance of sleep for mental health...

In today's fast-paced world, finding moments of peace and clarity amid the chaos can seem challenging. Yet, through mindfulness practices and meditation, individuals can cultivate a profound sense of mental well-being. Let's delve into how these practices can...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental health condition that can affect individuals who have experienced traumatic events. It's essential to comprehend its nature, recognize its symptoms, and explore avenues for support and healing. Let's delve into...

In today's fast-paced world, stress often becomes an unwelcome companion in our lives. While it's impossible to eliminate stress entirely, adopting effective strategies can help manage and reduce its impact on our daily well-being. Let's explore some practical and...

Depression can cast a heavy shadow over life, impacting emotions, thoughts, and daily activities. It's important to understand that while seeking professional help is crucial, practicing self-care plays an integral role in managing and navigating through depressive...

Anxiety is a common experience for many, affecting how we feel, think, and act. While it's a natural response to stress, excessive or prolonged anxiety can become overwhelming. Fortunately, there are effective techniques to manage and alleviate anxiety, empowering...

Context is everything! The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step,...

Financial stress can significantly impact mental health, affecting emotions, behaviors, and overall well-being. Let's explore the relationship between financial stress and mental health, along with effective coping mechanisms: Impact of Financial Stress on Mental...

It’s a new year and many need to re-apply for their mental health PMB’s for the year or some need to go for a mental health screening that might need a PMB application, what does PMB mean? PMB’s stand for Prescribed Minimum Benefits. They are a set of healthcare...

It’s the season to be jolly……… for some it is, for some it is not. My reason for writing this blog is to create awareness and sensitivity for those who are struggling despite the fact or the belief that it is the season to be jolly. "This time of year can be...

What is emotion regulation? Emotion regulation is defined as the ability to affect one's own emotional state. It can involve either increasing positive emotion, decreasing negative emotion, or both. Generally, it involves changing your thoughts or behaviors, sometimes...

What type of love do you have in your relationship? Healthy Love: Development of self first, as a priority. Toxic love: Obsession with relationship. Healthy Love: There is room to grow and expand as well as a for others to grow in the relationship. Toxic love:...

The counselling process needs to be holistic, one of the things that need great attention is sleep hygiene, if we don’t sleep well then our brains do not get the clean out they need to function healthily. Do you ever find yourself staring at the ceiling, wondering if...

Let’s celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, October, and Destigmatize Mental Health. 10 October 2023-Mental Health Awareness Day Commemoration of World Mental Health Day on 10 October is aimed at creating public awareness to make issues related to mental health a...

As it is trauma day on the 17th of October I decided to do a psycho-educational blog on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As Gabor Maté once said trauma is not what happens to you it is what happens inside you when something happens which is traumatic. If you are...

Many studies show that in fact the environment can influence your mental health. An example of the environment affecting your mental health could be seasons changing. Certain weather, such as rain, has been known to make people depressed, whereas sunshine makes people...

Working as a mental health and psychological practitioner I believe an integral part of my practice is being able to refer appropriately and to provide information on resources to people who are unable to pay for counselling. Below are some resources that I have come...

Mental health support is mandatory for any person who wants to live a healthy and fulfilling life but understanding the differences between counseling and therapy can be confusing.  I aim to explain the main key differences between counselling and therapy and to...

Registered Counsellor Everyone knows about psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and doctors but what about registered counsellors? As a registered counsellor, we provide short-term counselling, working with client’s current difficulties. We work with groups...

If you keep doing what you always did you will keep getting what you always got. If you walk the same path every day across a field of grass there will be a path that develops, for the grass to grow again there you will have to stop walking that same path.  The same...

As a psychological practitioner I believe it is important for me to inform the greater society of the ethical principles I am bound to, creating a form of accountability and protecting those who seek counselling by informing them about the ethical principles that...

What is a psychiatrist? Psychiatrists diagnose, treat, and prevent mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders with the use of medication, neuromodulation, and psychotherapy. Preparing for the appointment and the importance thereof. Going for your first psychiatric...

Most of my blogs in the last few months involved that I cited examples of my children and parenthood, I will once again cite an interesting discovery that I made, my daughter had to get her measles vaccination at school, and after they gave vaccines, the teacher...

In my experience as a mother, a client in therapy and as a psychological practitioner I have realised that I have parented from my frame of reference. I have also parented according to my temperament. Before I started studying psychology I had gone for therapy myself,...

After doing the blog on my postpartum experience, I decided I wanted to do a blog on children’s mental health as it was also quite pertinent in my life at this moment. My daughter who is nearly 5 has after 5 years of being the only child become a big sister. This was...

The fourth trimester is the 12-week period immediately after you have had your baby. Not everyone has heard of it, but every mother and their newborn baby will go through it. It is a time of great physical and emotional change as your baby adjusts to being outside the...

A boundary is the recognition of where you end and others begin. For the most part the whole point of having boundaries is so that we can contain ourselves within the parameters of where I stop and others begin. Like the fence between you and your neighbour....

The term recovery in this blog can refer to recovering from a mental illness, addiction, trauma etc. Journaling in recovery can be a helpful tool to guide your healing process. You may use a journal to record your struggles through the recovery process or to identify...

Communication skills are one of the most overlooked skills in modern day society. There is always a SENDER and a RECEIVER, the second we forget to take this into account, we are basically throwing ideas out there in the hopes that they will land. The four pillars of...

In the most general sense, anger is a feeling or emotion that ranges from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. Anger is a natural response to those situations where we feel threatened, we believe harm will come to us, or we believe that another person has...

We all have thoughts and feelings that we’d like to deny ever having. These desires and impulses are so offensive to the conscious part of the mind that it launches various psychological defence mechanisms to keep them out. We use these psychological defence...

What is conflict? Conflict is a normal part of any healthy relationship. After all, two people can’t be expected to agree on everything, all the time. The key is not to fear or try to avoid conflict but to learn how to resolve it in a healthy way. When conflict is...

Self-Care describes the activities undertaken by individuals and the wider community to improve health, prevent disease and manage illness. It encompasses a broad spectrum of activities and decisions that people make for themselves to maintain a good level of physical...

It’s the season to be jolly……… for some it is, for some it is not. My reason for writing this blog is to create awareness and sensitivity for those who are struggling despite the fact or the belief that it is the season to be jolly. "This time of year can be...

In a profession where we should be good at preventing burnout, practising what we preach, burnout is most rife in the helping profession. Looking at what burnout is and the resources available. Burnout is a . . . “Psychological syndrome in response to chronic...

6 November 2022 International Stress Awareness Day Stress has become part of our normal daily lives, so much so, that as I am writing this I am wondering if we can actually function without it or so we believe. Are we functioning or is it a flawed belief? Nonetheless,...

As October is Mental Health Awareness Month, I decided to choose Bipolar as the disorder that I want to psycho-educate on. Please take caution when reading the following not to diagnose others or yourself, only qualified practitioners such as psychologists,...

Let’s celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, October, and Destigmatize Mental Health. 10 October 2022-Mental Health Awareness Day The body is as important as the brain they both fulfil a very important role and one cannot without the other, if mental health gets...

Emotions what are they? Emotions: Precede feelings, they are physical (biological), basic and instinctual. They result in physical and psychological changes that influence thought and behaviour. Because they are physical, they can be objectively measured by blood...

After listening to a talk by Dr Gabor Maté https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVg2bfqblGI it all makes sense why people-please and use all kinds of coping mechanisms. He mentions in his talk that as an infant there are two fundamental needs apart from the physical needs,...

At some stage of my counselling journey I was working in a dual diagnosis primary care facility where I provided addiction group counselling and  psycho-education groups. One afternoon I received feedback that some of the group members were not joining the...

Looking at addiction from a systemic point of view. Please remember the following the three C’s you did not Cause your partner, child or family member’s addiction, You cannot Control them or their addiction/behaviour and you cannot Cure it. I am wondering how many of...

Are the masks we wore to protect us from Covid-19 the only masks we wore, or did they take the place of the masks we wore before Covid-19 reached our shores in February 2020. The president gazetted June 2022 that we could stop wearing masks. When I went shopping the...

Perceived rejection or is it, someone, who struggles with feeling socially awkward or who struggles with social anxiety. I was sitting in a coffee shop the other day and my husband bumped the back of a person’s chair which was behind him, I suggested to my husband...