Choosing a Mental Health Counsellor

Everyone faces situations in life that are difficult and overwhelming. One way to cope is to consult with a professional counsellor. Counsellors can help you make a career change, deal with the death of a loved one, overcome panic attacks, manage stress, get over anger, cope with divorce, chronic pain, bullying, school anxiety - in short, counsellors are trained to help you face a wide range of difficulties.
Counsellors work with people across the life span - from childhood, through adolescence, and adulthood. Counsellors offer their services in a variety of modes: individual counselling, couple, family, and groups.
, Finding the right counsellor is often a confusing process. You can use the following guidelines to identify a qualified, helpful counsellor.
1. A good counsellor is a qualified profession with a university education (often a master's degree or higher) from a recognized university. You can ask to see their university degree, where they did their internship and how long they've been in practice.
2. A good counsellor is part of an association to which they are accountable, has a code of ethics, and which grants certification based on high standards of training and education. The Canadian Counselling Association (CCA) certifies qualified counselors. To find a Canadian Certified Counsellor in Canada, contact The Canadian Counselling Association at 1-877-765-5565 or by visiting their website at http://www.ccacc.ca
A good counsellor has expertise and the necessary training or area of specialization to help with you specific problems.
3. A good counsellor listens more than they speak and keeps the focus on you. A good counsellor is respectful and willing to challenge you when necessary.
A good counsellor is someone you are comfortable with, who is nonjudgmental, someone you can trust with the personal details of your life. A good counsellor encourages and answers your questions.
3. A good counsellor discusses the issue of confidentiality with you, explains when confidentiality might be broken and with whom and under what circumstances the counsellor can discuss your case.A good counsellor helps you set clearly defined goals and a plan of action. A good counsellor gives you an estimate of how long counselling might last and how counselling will end.
4. A good counsellor describes appontment policy with you including the session fees, method of payment, the policy regarding missed appointments, the length of each session and how to reach them in case of an emergency.
5. A good counsellor welcomes your feedback and asks how you feel the counselling process is going and if you have any concerns or questions.

Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed. is a Canadian Certified Counsellor. She is the author of Learn to be an Optimist and Learn to Manage Your Time. Lucy provides phone counselling services and tele-classes on anger management and stress management. Her website is http://www.lucymacdonald.com.

Depression and Intelligence

Sometimes managing depression can be a difficult task, and it's easy for someone battling depression to let their fears get the best of them. This is an illness that can cause someone to feel very alone, and beating it is not nearly as simple as some people may think. For years there have been a lot of speculation about the correlation depression has to intelligence. There are several books on depression and extensive research studies performed on this topic. In this article I will discuss more in-depth information I have found related to this study.
Based on the information I have gathered it is more a correlation between depression and creativity than it is between intelligence and depression. Creative people have a heightened emotional connection to the people and things that surround them, some of the greatest works were created in the midst of deep emotional turmoil. Research has proven that creative people are at a higher risk for depression because of their elevated emotional abilities, there are books on depression that explain this more elaborately.
Some researchers believe that depression and emotional maturity are linked. As individuals who have the ability to confront emotional issues with knowledge and maturity are less likely to become depressed. For a long time depression was known as melancholia, and it is the most well-known psychiatric disorder that goes back to the beginning of psychiatry. Learning how to battle depression will be essential to understanding it including medication, exercise, and counseling if necessary. There are books on depression that can aid you throughout this process, you just have to keep an open mind.
Often times statistical data is used to carry out this research which makes the findings more reliable, the larger the sample the more accurate the results will be. Intelligent individuals have a more complex mind so their focuses are more intense, and more inclined to become overwhelmed. There are many treatment options for depression and in most cases these treatments require a minimum of six months. Depending on the severity of your condition medication may or may not be needed, but most of the time these medications are not addictive.
In my opinion there is definitely a link between depression and intelligence, however being intelligent doesn't guarantee that you will suffer from depression. I am extremely creative and with this gift there comes great blessings, but it definitely comes at cost. It is important to stay grounded in the things that matter most to you, it will make all the difference. The more you understand this illness, the greater the chance you have at fighting it. One of the best books on depression I have ever read was an E-Book, and I continue to use it as a reference.

If you would like to learn more about self help for depression and anxiety. Please visit Minnisha's website that has more detailed information about bestselling books on depression.

How to Detect Paranoid Schizophrenia Symptoms and Signs

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder which alters the way its sufferer thinks, acts, conveys emotions, distinguishes reality, and interacts with other people. Commonly, people with schizophrenia experience hallucinations, delusions, disorganizations in speech and thinking, and dysfunctions in social or occupational spheres. However, not all sufferers of the disorder show similar signs. The symptoms of the brain disorder may differ depending on the type of the schizophrenia.
Among several subtypes of schizophrenia (paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual types), paranoid schizophrenia is the most common subtype of that happens to people. Compared to other subtypes of schizophrenia, a person with paranoid schizophrenia may function better in the society as he or she will not show symptoms such as memory problems, dulled emotions, and concentration problems. In reverse, a paranoid schizophrenic tends to think more organized.
Until now, there are no exact factors known as the cause of paranoid schizophrenia. However, some risk factors which can trigger the mental disorder may include family history, fetal malnutrition during pregnancy, viral infection during pregnancy, childhood abuse or trauma, drugs consumptions, and stress during early life.
Commonly, symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia include:
- Delusions; which can include the delusions of reference, exalted birth, grandiose, persecution, special mission, bodily change, or jealousy.
- Auditory hallucinations; the sufferer hears voices that give her or him important commands or even threats. He or she may also hear voices without verbal structures such as laughing, humming, or whistling.
- Other kinds of hallucinations; can include sexual hallucinations or hallucinations of smell and taste. Visual hallucinations can also be felt but in rare dominance.
- High anxiety; one of the common symptoms for the paranoid subtype.
- Aggression; at some levels, aggressions can turn into the tendency of violence. Violence in a paranoid schizophrenic may be harmful to the sufferer himself as well as people around him.
- Anger; which ranges from mild irritations to fury and rage.
- Quarrels
- Aloofness; the sufferer can be physically and emotionally reserved and detached from others.
- Condescension; patient may feel that he or she knows what other people don't.
Although may still function in the society due to the intact memory, concentration, and emotions, a paranoid schizophrenia patient is particularly dangerous since the sufferer may have suicidal tendency. Often, the auditory hallucinations distort the sufferer's mind into thinking and behaving of suicides. If you at some point are considering suicide and having the means available, call immediately 911, a family member, friend, religious leader, doctor, crisis center, or other person you think would help you with the problem.

Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common subtype of schizophrenia found in people. Have more info about the less common schizophrenia from our site.

Mental Health Depression - Why A Lot Of Modern People Have It?

Depression is one of the most common problems to have affected our present generation. It is a strange fact that the present generation i.e. people between the age group of 15-40 are the victims of mental depression but this is not the same with our grandfathers or great grandfathers!
Does this mean that our grandfathers were shielded from such problem just because of the simple life they led? Maybe; one fact that we all would have to agree with is that our modern lifestyle has made us more and more vulnerable to mental disorders like depression. Our modern lifestyle is full of stress and unhealthy habits where we do not know the limits to the pressure that we handle or the unhealthy habits that we have adopted.
On the other hand our grandfathers led a very simple and normal life; they never really overindulged themselves into eating unhealthy foods or leading a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise and food are two of the major things that can affect our mental health to a great extent; hence, if we too want to get rid of our depressing thoughts then it is time that we check what we eat and how we live.
We need to understand that our professional lives open us up to various forms of stress, thus we need to take care of our eating habits to save the body from further stress. It is better to avoid the junk foods and take in as much green vegetables and fruits as possible. Provide the body with the most needed nutrients and stuff it with the wellness of nature. This would automatically allow you to get over your depressive feelings.
Physical exercise is another important thing that one needs to inculcate into one's life so that your body and mind remains fit and filled with enough oxygen to let the depression ebb away without any fuss.

Do you want to know more about some types of depression?
Find out about Clinical Depression Symptoms [http://www.depressionsymptom-s.com/clinical-depression-symptoms] and Bipolar definition [http://www.depressionsymptom-s.com/bipolar-definition] here.

Pain and Suffering

There are two levels to your pain: the pain that you create now, and the pain from your past that still lives on in your mind and body.
As long as you are unable to access the power of the Now, every emotional pain that you experience leaves behind a residue of pain that lives on in you. It merges with the pain from the past, which was already there, and becomes lodged in your mind and body. This, of course, includes the pain you suffered as a child, caused by the unconsciousness of the world in to which you were born.
This accumulated pain is a negative energy field that occupies your body and mind. If you look on it as an invisible entity on its own right, you are getting quite close to the truth. It's the emotional pain-body." ~ Eckhart Tolle, Practicing The Power of Now - Essential Teachings, Meditation, and Exercises from The Power of Now, page 75
Do you experience feelings of anger, depression, rage, jealousy, and hatred often? Is this affecting your intimate relationships and your life in general?
Most people experience pain at one point or another in their lives. Pain and suffering is typically created when you are resistant to what is. Pain can also be caused by other people as in something traumatic that happened when you were a child.
Unless pain is resolved it stays with you as a 'negative energy field' and it accumulates. This means you could still be caring pain from ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. Overtime this can become a huge baggage and burden to carry. The pain will also be heavy and intensified.
Eckhart Tolle describes this as 'an invisible entity' and calls it the 'emotional pain body'. This is an interesting name, but quiet fitting. Have you ever started to feel irritated and then before you know it you have totally 'lost it'? Almost felt like you were taken over by something or someone else? Looking back you can say 'That was not me!' Well, you were temporarily taken over by your emotional pain body.
How do you know it is your emotional pain body? When you experience any type of intense negative emotional pain and you do things to perpetuate the pain then you know you're taken over by the pain body.
Now, when I say you're taken over by the pain body I don't mean that you are helpless and possessed by this entity. It does not mean that you have no control to do something to help the situation and to stop the pain. It just means you have become unconscious. In this state you will do things that will cause you and others suffering.
Eckhart Tolle offers many suggestions on how to dissolve the pain body. There is a lot you can do to eliminate pain and suffering from your life.
The first thing you want to do is to become aware of your emotional patterns. Become aware of your thoughts and emotions before or as they happen. Ideally you would want to catch yourself before it happens but initially you may become aware while you're in the midst of feeling anger or rage or depression or whatever you happen to be experiencing.
Here is the challenging part - observe, feel the feeling, and be present. It is one thing to be present when things are going well and you're feeling great. However when you're feeling intense emotional pain to stay with the feeling without becoming destructive will be difficult. This is where most people will get in to self medicating or perhaps cause damage to their relationships by saying something terrible or where violence happens.
"The truth is that the only power there is, is contained within this moment: It is the power of your presence. Once you know that, you also realize that you are responsible for your inner space now - nobody else is - and that the past cannot prevail against the power of the Now." ~ Eckhart Tolle, Practicing The Power of Now - Essential Teachings, Meditation, and Exercises from The Power of Now, page 84
It is a wonderful thing to know that you are not condemned to feeling emotional pain and suffering for the rest of your life. You can choose to stop the pain and suffering. You can also decide to not create pain and suffering for yourself. There is a way out if you're willing to do the work.
Becoming aware of your thoughts and emotions and being present while you're experiencing them may at first be difficult if you're not use to doing it. However the more you do it the easier it will become. Be patient.
PLEASE share your comments down below! I'd love to hear from you! And please also share this post on Twitter or FB if you liked it! Thanks so much for spending time with me here today!
Blessings and Peace,
Neseret

Neseret Bemient is a Personal Health and Wellness coach, speaker, author. She helps women and mothers on their journey to healing, health and wholeness. If you would like to learn more about Neseret and her work follow this link http://www.NeseretBemient.com

Addiction - General Article About Addictions

Addiction means making a bad habit of something. Any kind of addiction is bad. Making our body habitual to something good or bad can take a form of an addiction. When a person converts his liking to a habit and habit to a necessity, it takes the shape of an addiction. Addictions are of many kinds such as an addiction of alcohol, coffee, tea, drugs, gambling, etc. The one who is addicted is a patient and should be handled with patience. The family of the patient has to suffer equally as the patient. Addiction is a turning point in the life of a person and a person starts thinking in a different way once gets addicted to something. The support and love of family and friends is very important for the patient so that he comes out of it.
There are many addiction-counseling programs that aims at teaching people about the unhealthy affects addiction of anything. These are de-addiction centers that make people aware of various kinds of bad habits and help the patients to overcome their addictions. Through these counseling programs people get addiction help and make efforts to quit their wrong habits and save their lives. Various steps are taken by different organizations in order to help the patients to recover from their addictions. Many medicines are recommended to the patients through which they can quit bad habits. There are gums, pills, inhalers, etc suggested by the doctors to the people who are addicted to smoking. The main aim of these de-addiction centers is to help people in differentiating between the habits and addictions. These centers give support to the patients and let them not to lose hope. The will power of the sufferer is the major source through which they can overcome their addiction. Addiction is a universal problem that can be overcome through an effective addiction treatment program. These centers help an individual and his family healing the damage done to the body of the patient through proper exercise and nutrition. The de-addiction centers bring back the confidence of the patient and make him/her realize the importance of the loved ones and pleasures of life without any addiction.
ALCOHOL ADDICTION-Alcohol addiction is a kind of addiction in which a person starts taking alcohol in excess measure on regular basis. This kind of addiction is very harmful for ones body and mind. Alcohol addiction not only affects the body of a person but also the personality of a person. Proper counseling should given to the one who gets addicted to alcohol.
DRUG ADDICTION-Drug addiction is an addiction to a drug specially to narcotic drug. This kind of addiction is taken for pleasure because narcotic drug reduces pain and cause numbness. Drug addiction is considered worst kind of addiction.
VICODIN ADDICTION- Vicodin addiction means compulsive use of medication without the recommendation of the doctor. It can cause addicts to need these drugs mood alterations. Various produces the feeling of relaxation and relief from pain. It is a drug of choice for many prescription drug addicts. Vicodin addiction is equally dangerous as alcohol or drug addiction. To overcome this addiction one needs treatment, counseling and outside help.
DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT-Drug addiction can be cured by various drug addiction centers that help individuals to overcome their addictions and regain the healthy and happy life. These centers make the sufferers free from the addictions. These de-addiction centers provide the patient a healthy surroundings away from one's regular environment. They give the patient a different atmosphere and makes them feel the importance of the loved ones and one's life. There are addiction rehabilitation programs that help people to get rid of their addictions of drug or alcohol and achieve long term recovery. These rehab teams deal with all the major factors contributing to this disease. They help the individual as well as their families to overcome an addiction. There are personal addiction therapy programs such as Auricular acupuncture that help the addict to have a new life.
Some addicts do not confess that they have any kind of addiction. People often give lame excuses for their excessive consumption of any particular thing and do not believe the fact that they are an addict. Any kind of an addiction is bad and we should make use of everything in a limit in order to have a healthy life.

Source: http://www.disease-articles.com

Parental ADHD Advocacy

Children diagnosed with ADHD face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. First, an ADHD diagnosis conjures unflattering stigmas. The labels are detestable, but a regular part of an ADHD child's life. Second, special accommodations in the classroom cause deep resentment in peers and the teachers responsible for implementing the accommodations. Most important, children diagnosed with ADHD rarely have an advocate who looks after their best interests.
ADHD advocacy is a nascent trend in the mental health industry. For years, children struggled without advocacy support while trying to cope in social environments and in the classroom. ADHD clinicians began to heed the call for advocacy, but their role was limited to medical education for parents and education personnel. National ADHD advocacy organizations have been effective in lobbying politicians for ADHD laws, especially in the areas of education and the workplace. National organizations have a macro sphere of influence, not the micro attention to detail that is parental ADHD advocacy.
Parents are the only true advocate for ADHD children. Their sphere of influence ranges from medications to ensuring education equity. While researching ADHD is a positive first step in becoming an advocate, knowledge of the condition is not enough to make an impact on an ADHD child's life. Parents must become involved and make the commitment to advocate for their child. Here are some important areas that demand parental ADHD advocacy:
Recognizing the signs
ADHD education begins with recognizing the complicated signs of the condition. By complicated, I mean that some symptoms of ADHD mirror other disorders like anxiety and depression.
The best place to research ADHD symptoms is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The manual provides a general list of 18 symptoms and the requisite criteria for making an ADHD diagnosis. Dr. Daniel Amen breaks down the 18 symptoms further by providing a detailed list of symptoms in checklist form.
Parental ADHD advocacy is ineffective if parents do not understand the basic symptoms of the condition.
ADHD clinician testing and evaluation
An ADHD diagnosis is a two-step process. Parents must make it a three-step process by carefully scrutinizing a list of clinician candidates. I recommend choosing a clinician based on your friends or family practitioner referral.
Parental ADHD advocacy involves creating a list of questions for each clinician candidate. Questions should include:

• How do you make a diagnosis?
• Do you have references?
• What is your position on ADHD medications?

Parents are usually involved in the second step of the diagnosis process, which entails the attendance of a significant other. Parents should also participate in the first step of the process. The first step is a series of psychological tests that determine if a second consultation is warranted. Parental ADHD advocacy during this step is observing how the clinician conducts the tests. Moreover, parents must eliminate any clinician who aggressively pushes ADHD medications during the first step.
ADHD Medications
The purest form of parental ADHD advocacy is understanding one fact: ADHD medications do not cure ADHD. The medications are prescribed to mitigate the symptoms. They are not a panacea, and there are other options that help children manage ADHD. The same concern for illicit drug use should be applied to the prescription of a stimulant narcotic for an underdeveloped human being.
If parents decide that ADHD medications are the best course of action, they must be vigilant when it comes to monitoring their child's prescription. Side effects occur when a child takes the wrong dosage during the wrong time of day. This usually happens at school, so parents must clearly communicate their child's ADHD medication regimen with a school nurse and administrators. They must also ensure that the medication does not fall into the hands of other children who are looking for a stimulant "high."
Above all, parental ADHD advocacy means promoting the alternative treatments for the symptoms. This may entail banging heads with the clinician. Banging heads is a good thing when your child' health is involved.
Exercise
The physical and mental benefits of a regular exercise routine far outweigh ADHD medications. Exercise is a long-term solution for rampant hyperactivity. ADHD medications are a quick fix that introduces potent chemicals into a child's system.
Parental ADHD advocacy for exercise is more about changing a child's sedentary lifestyle. Parents should encourage their children to refrain from playing video and computer games. The encouragement needs to start at a young age, when unhealthy habits are easier to change.
The ADHD establishment continually dispels the theory that too much television causes ADHD. While television does not directly cause ADHD, lying around without significant periods of exercise exacerbates the condition's symptoms. Parents are the first line of defense to prevent a sedentary lifestyle from firmly taking root in a child's lifestyle.
Diet and Nutrition
Sugar was once considered a contributor to ADHD symptoms. Once again, ADHD science seems to dispel the sugar attribution as myth. Nonetheless, a healthy diet based on nutritional components is, like exercise, an integral part of maintaining a healthy body and mind.
Parents may not have a stronger advocacy role for their ADHD children than the decisions they make about sustenance. Fast food is out. Fruits, vegetables, and fish rich in Omega fatty acids are in.
Competitive Sports
Many parents operate under the false assumption that sports participation curtails impulsiveness and hyperactivity. The energy released during a sport competition will calm an ADHD child. The problem, however, is distraction is a characteristic that ruins athletic performance.
Enrolling an ADHD child in sporting leagues is an excellent strategy to circumvent the mind numbing games played in front of television and computer screens. True parental ADHD advocacy means thoroughly explaining to the child's coach what exactly constitutes the condition known as ADHD. Most coaches are amenable to adapting their coaching style in order to promote an ADHD child's strengths.
Advocacy also means not pushing your child into a sport that he or she does not enjoy. Find the right sport and encourage the child to participate in it until they reach a level of superior performance or lose interest all together.
Education
A child's ADHD diagnosis is often the result of school performance. Teacher and administrators notice the child's distraction and hyperactivity, and bring the behavior to the attention of the parents. Parental ADHD advocacy for a child's education achievement is irrefutably mandatory.
Pay attention to how the school system makes changes to enhance your child's learning capability. Knowing ADHD laws is a start, but constant monitoring of your child's performance and persistent insistence that the school adheres to ADHD laws strengthens parental ADHD advocacy. Part of Mark Norris`s work consists of developing a strong partnership between parents and academic professionals. With the parents consent, he organizes school meetings and follow ups with them, their child and the academic team involved in the child's success. An objective and detailed portrait of the child's strengths and challenges is presented and when necessary, classroom accommodations are established.
Parents can also provide a nurturing environment at home, where one-on-one tutoring complements the instruction given in school. The ultimate strategy in parental ADHD advocacy is to instruct your child in a home school environment.
Political System
Political advocacy means becoming involved in ADHD organizations that push legislators to write ADHD friendly legislation. At the very least, involvement in ADHD organizations will allow you to stay abreast of legal status changes that affect your child.
Parent Coaching
ADHD coaching is a growing industry. Most of the attention given to this alternative method for managing ADHD is how a coach benefits adults. Parent coaching is not about mentoring your child. It is about taking courses and assimilating information from a certified ADHD coach.
Parent coaching places you in the student's role. You learn many strategies on developing your child's strengths and mitigating the more onerous ADHD symptoms. Mark Norris is at the forefront of this invaluable movement. He has developed a comprehensive site dedicated to the issue and a detailed coaching program that he implements for adults.
Four to six percent of the United States population is estimated to have ADHD. Recent trends indicate the percentages will sharply increase. Most of the increase is due to the burgeoning diagnosis rate among children. As the rate continues to rise, parents must be aware of the advocacy responsibilities they inherit as their child navigates the turbulent waters of ADHD.
Advocacy means involvement. Involvement does not happen unless you have a deep commitment for your ADHD child's progress.

Mark Norris is a certified ADHD Coach for adults and for parents with children who have ADHD. He offers coaching in English and French, via phone or webcam. His academic background includes training in ADHD coaching along with a Master`s degree in Adult Education. A college professor for the last 15 years' teaching specialized education and coaching students doing fieldwork in this academic field, Mark's courses range from communication, counselling, alternative psychological approaches to creativity enhancements and adaptation methods for families who have children with special needs.