A Student in Counselling

Procrastination links 

Distract yourself even more

Getting Around To It: Surviving and Embracing Procrastination

Psych Central have provided yet another easy and informative read, it is a great resource for students and non students alike.

Common Problems With Study -Quiz

Organising your studies can be easier if you are aware of your own personal approach and the sort of problems that you meet. Look at the statements in the link, and tick any that you feel apply to you.

Maintaining Your Motivation

From the page: Why are you studying? What do you hope to get out of it? These may seem very basic questions - but they need to be given thought at the start of a course.

Personal Development  

A little piece of me

I started blogging at the start of my counselling course, just to keep track of things in a sort of diary format. That unleashed a beast, so to speak and ever since I have loved it.

Self Disclosure 

Self Disclosure

Self-disclosure is seen as a useful strategy for sharing information with others. By sharing information, we become more intimate with other people and our interpersonal relationship is strengthened. Read about self-disclosure and then complete the interactive activity and take a short quiz to test your understanding of the concept.

self disclosure quiz

Read about self-disclosure and then complete the interactive activity and take a short quiz to test your understanding of the concept.

Counselling and Intimacy - A talk given to the Natural Sciences Society - December 2002

Abstract

Counselling could be described as a professionally intimate activity. This session will explore some of the issues in this area and how counsellors are trained to handle such issues.

Dave Robson qualified as a counsellor in the 90s and undertakes counselling outside of the University. He has been involved with couple counselling with Relate, and is currently counselling within the NHS and also in private practice.

Self-Disclosure - Underpinnings and Applications

Interesting article

Self-Disclosure & Transparency in Psychotherapy and Counseling

At its most basic therapist self-disclosure may be defined as the revelation of personal rather than professional information about the therapist to the client.

Johari Window  

Johari Window Model

A basic definition of the Johari Window

Art Therapy 

Elizabeth Beck -Art Therapy

From her bio:
Using art came naturally to me as a way to cope with the hardships I was faced with through out my life. When I discovered art therapy as a career choice, I realized that I could help others to discover and accept themselves and their lives through artistic creation.

Secret Shadows- Art Therapy

A blog written by a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, powerful images used.

Welcome to Vicky Barber's Art Therapy Home Page!

From the page:

What is Art Therapy?

At some point in their lives, people may find themselves overwhelmed by the intensity of their emotions which are difficult to face either by themselves or with others. Art therapy offers an opportunity to explore these intense or painful thoughts and feelings in a supportive environment. It involves using a wide variety of art materials, for example paints, clay and batik, to create a visual representation of thought and feelings. Art Therapy can be an individual activity but is often used very successfully in group situations.

British Association of Art Therapists or BAAT

The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is the professional organisation for art therapists in the United Kingdom and has its own Code of Ethics of Professional Practice. Comprising of 20 regional groups, a European and an international section, it maintains a comprehensive directory of qualified art therapists and works to promote art therapy in the UK.

Playing in the sand

Abstract: Playing with small objects in a tray of sand is a powerful but simple form of experimentation, which for some time I have been incorporating into my work as a Gestalt therapist. The therapeutic use of the sand tray is not something I have invented - it is used quite widely, especially in work with children, but I believe it is a rich and under-exploited resource for Gestalt therapists working with adults. In this paper I give a brief background to the development of the use of sand play in psychotherapy. I then present my thinking about working in this way from the perspective of Gestalt psychotherapy theory, using some clinical examples to illustrate these ideas.

Key words: Sandplay therapy, experimentation, Margaret Lowenfeld, Dora Kalff, Gestalt therapy, figure and ground.

The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education

Welcome to IATE

Accredited Training courses and Masters Degrees in Arts Psychotherapy / Child Psychotherapy / Emotional Literacy and Child Counselling, leading to Nationally Recognised Registration.
Not only a training course, but a profound personal journey.

Artconstellation

This was the first blog that I came across that used art in therapeutic sense and it floored me.

From the page:

I am a 31 year old female artist. I survived fourteen years of incest and abuse and lived another ten years in silence before I got to a therapist who began to help me. I post images of my art and write about my life as I work to recover from the past. Dr. C is my therapist. Lloyd and Winston are my cats. Jessieh is one of my closest friends and joy in human form.

Art Therapy Sundrip Journals

Another wonderful journal I have found in blogworld

From the page:
This art therapy gallery hosts drawings and other artwork in expression of being a survivor of sexual assault/rape and incest. The gallery also has drawings in expression of life with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, Borderline Personality Disorder, OCD and Dissociative identity disorder. Although the list of disorders seems long these are common symptoms and disorders that develop in the wake of childhood and early adult hood abuse.

Play Therapy  

Association for Play Therapy -- Home

the Association for Play Therapy (APT) describes its purpose, programs, policies, personnel, and past. See other home page links for directories and training, credentialing, bookstore, membership, and play therapy information.

The British Association of Play Therapists, the UK home of Play Therapy

BAPT is the first and foremost professional body that governs play therapy training, practice, research, and membership in Britain.

Play Therapy - An information resource for play and creative arts therapies

An information resource provided by Play Therapy International %uFFFD the foremost international organisation for play therapy, therapeutic play, filial play

The Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy

CACPT Mission Statement

The Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy believes in the value of play therapy and its contribution to an individual's mental, emotional, social and psychological well being.

PTTI HOME PAGE

Seminars and training in play therapy.

Play Therapy Austrailia

Welcome to Play Therapy Northern Territory Play Therapy Northern Territory (PTNT) was founded in 2005 by Josephine Martin. She has an extensive history in children's welfare and counselling. PTNT specialises in Play and Filial Therapy. Play Therapy is designed to connect to your child thro

Self Help Sites 

keeping a check on your own mental health

Beating The Blues

Beating the Blues is the only computerised CBT treatment for depression recommended for use in the NHS.

No more Panic

This site provides valuable information for sufferers and carers of people with Panic, Anxiety, Phobias and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). Its purpose it to provide members with support, advice and a chance to meet like-minded people and make friends along the way. You should use the website information, Message Forum and Chat room alongside any care you are currently receiving from your physician.

MoodGYM

Delivering cognitive behaviour therapy
for preventing depression

moodjuice

This site is designed to help you think about emotional problems and work towards solving them. Emotional problems are often the mind and body's way of saying that something needs to be changed in our life.

Through the next few pages we will look at several areas of life that can contribute to problems. You may find it helpful to think about each one in turn to see if it applies to you.

Each of these areas has a set of links relating to it, these may provide useful information and guidance.

Living Life To The Full

The course has been written by a Psychiatrist who has many years of experience using a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach and also in helping people use these skills in everday life. During the development phase of the course, each module has been used by a wide range of health care practitioners and members of the public.

Headroom

What is Headroom?

Life is full of ups and downs. So the BBC has created Headroom, a campaign to encourage you to look after your mental wellbeing.

Students Against Depression

From the page:
This site offers UK students comprehensive information and discussion about:

* what depression is and how it works
* what contexts depression flourishes in
* self-help strategies for tackling depression
* how to get further support and help

Although it is aimed towards UK students, there is an abundance of useful information for any student.

e-couch

e-couch provides information about emotional problems - what causes them, how to prevent them and how to treat them. It includes exercises to help you understand yourself and others better. Even better, it provides you with a set of strategies that might help you to improve your life.

The Sanity Score - Test Your Mental Wellness

Take the Sanity Score%u2122 quiz, a mental health and wellness test that has been scientifically designed to help you figure out what's going on in your life and your mental well-being.

At the conclusion of the test, you'll be given specific action-items to help you improve parts of your life, articles to learn more about specific conditions that are relevant to where you are in your life, and additional quizzes to help you better pinpoint the issues in your life and what you can do to help improve them.

Your Sanity Score is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery for your brain, your well-being, and your life.

So please, come join over 60,000 others who've already taken the test! Login (on the left-hand side of the screen) to begin your test or, if you're new to the test, signup for a free account now to get started.

Informative links 

Mental Health in the Elderly

Fabulous online training tool developed by Age Concern and RCGP for GP's to test their knowledge

BBC Headroom

Sites that allow you to assess your mood and keep track of it.
This BBC site has a whole feast of info

Carl Rogers Counselling sessions

Found a whole feast of Carl Rogers counselling sessions

Psychotherapy Brown Bag

Really interesting articles focusing on clinical psychology

A resource list by the chairty 'Together'

Well worth a look
If you or someone you know needs immediate help in a MH crisis, use these links

Sharon Sanquist

From the bio:
I find myself back in school as a non-traditional student after many years in the banking/mortgage industry. I am following my passion (which is always a good thing) by finally pursuing a MSW in the clinical track. I also volunteer at a local mental health facility providing social, life skills, and companionship to those suffering from schizophrenia.

The purpose of this site is to provide a rich set of resources and dialogue for other people who are interested in similar topics within counseling and social work. This site should not be substituted or perceived as a form of counseling.
Welcome and enjoy, I look forward to hearing from you.
~SS

Together UK

Together is

*
A leading UK Mental Health Charity working alongside each person with mental health issues on their journey towards greater wellbeing
*
Informed, Responsive, Resourceful

Together offers

*
Trusted expertise in Service User Involvement
*
Effective, flexible, individual support

Together believes in

*
Life without prejudice, one person at a time
*
Individual choices for a more fulfilling life

Psychcentral

Welcome to the Internet's largest and oldest independent mental health network, providing
reliable, trusted information & self-help support communities for over 14 years.

Fantastic articles on a whole feast of mental health topics

Dr. Kathleen Young: Treating Trauma in Chicago

Dr. Young is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She has been in private practice in Chicago, Illinois since 1992. She incorporates aspects of psychodynamic, relational therapy and dialectical behavior therapy into her approach to psychotherapy. Her career focus has been on treating trauma and its aftermath.

Fantastic blog

PSYBLOG

Fascinating blog on psychology, with especially interesting posts on group psychology

you'd be so pretty if...

A fantastic blog focusing on Body Image

Therapy Today

Therapy Today is the official journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) providing a forum counselling and psychotherapy professionals and those interested in therapy. In addition to features offering insight into a broad range of subjects relevant to therapy practice in all settings, Therapy Today aims to keep readers informed about:

* - new initiatives affecting the profession
* - national and international developments
* - topical news

The Clean Collection

Fascinating look at the use of language.

NLP  

Neuro Linguistic Programming

NLP on Wikipedia

The wikipedia definition of NLP, careful with things on wikipedia as it is not a reliable source of information all the time.

This is a good resource though and the at the bottom of the article is a huge list of informative links.

NLPSalad

A great set of youtube clips on NLP

Cognitive Behavourial Therapy CBT 

Having a look at the CBT approach to Therapy:
What is CBT about?
1.CBT is less concerned with insight and more orientated towards client action to produce change.
2.Challenging irrational beliefs.
3.Reframing the issues with facts.
4.Rehearsing the use of different self-statements in role plays.
5.Negative self-statements, in a job interview for example "I will fail" or "Here I go again".
6.What helps? Thinking out loud, thought listing etc.
7.Graded hierarchy of fear eliciting situations.
8.Three types of experience associated with high levels of relapse = Downers, rows and joining the club.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) The Royal College of psychiatry

An informative guide to what CBT is by The Royal College of Psychiatry

Metaphors 

The Clean Collection - Metaphor articles

A great collection of articles on the use of Metaphor

Tangled Spaghetti in My Head: Making use of metaphor

A really enjoyable article on the Metaphor and why it is important in Psychotherapy.

A short history of metaphor

The history of the metaphor

Metaphors we live by

Some excepts from the book "Metaphors We Live By" by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson

Talking about Mental Health 

Jargon busting guide to mental health

This is an excellent resource and you print it off and add your own definitions! super.

Mental Health Foundation

Founded in 1949, the Mental Health Foundation is a leading UK charity that provides information, carries out research, campaigns and works to improve services for anyone affected by mental health problems, whatever their age and wherever they live.

Time to Change

Time to Change is England's most ambitious programme to end discrimination faced by people who experience mental health problems.

Our vision:
To make lives better for everyone by ending mental health discrimination

Our mission:
To inspire people to work together to end the discrimination surrounding mental health

Pop Quizzes 

Defence mechanisms

This test is composed of a number of hypothetical situations each depicting the use of a defense. For each situation there are four explanatory statements. One statement has been designated as the best or most insightful explanation - it shows the best understanding of the defense. Another statement has been designated the least understanding of the situation and defense.

Defence mechanisms 2

While Sigmund Freud introduced the concept of ego anxiety, it was his daughter, Anna Freud, who described the ten major defense mechanisms. Since that time, other researchers have discovered other defense mechanisms that people use to cope with anxiety. Test your knowledge of these defense mechanisms in the following quiz. Good luck! Choose your difficulty level

Interactive Johari window

More information can be on the Johari window here

http://www.noogenesis.com/game_theory/johari/johari_window.html

LearnMyself Personality Test

Learn MySelf free personality tests provide the most interesting, accurate and fun means of learning about yourself.

BDD aka Body Dysmorphic Disorder. 

Body Dysmorphic Disorder, poetry, websites and books

BDD presentation handout

This is the handout I produced to go with a presentation I did on BDD, the actual presentation needs a lot of work on it before I put it online, but I think this handout file is of some use and I really think the poetry included if powerful.

BDD HELP UK

Research has shown that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT and Medication can greatly help people with this disorder. This website aims to offer information and support.

BE BDD AWARE

The Creation of Awareness

This site has been created with the sole intention of generating awareness of the harm that is caused by appearance-related prejudgements.

Wonderful site!

BDD SUPPORT

BDD Support is a not for profit organisation that provides information for those affected by Body Dysmorphic Disorder and professionals working with sufferers. We aim to increase awareness of the condition in order to improve access to appropriate treatment and reduce the years of suffering that individuals with BDD currently experience.

The BDD Foundation

The BDD Foundation aims to increase awareness and understanding of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), taking the focus away from current stigmas that can perceive BDD as narcissistic, self-indulgent or purely a result of modern Western ideals. We also aim to dispel the belief of many people affected by BDD, that the disorder cannot be overcome.

OCD-UK on BDD

Informative look at BDD from OCD-UK

BDD Central

This site is maintained by BDD survivors, and also receives contributions from the world's leading BDD experts. The mission of BDDCentral is to offer a safe and supportive place to communicate and learn, educate the public through outreach programs, and offer updated resources (such as an up-to-date treatment provider directory and recommended literature) to help sufferers and their loved ones.

BDD on wikipedia

A good starting place when reading about BDD, with an excellent list of articles and other sites to visit.

Addiction  

Smoke Free NHS

NHS - UK's National Health Service's website that provides and help support for those wishing to stop smoking.

Bereavement and Grief  

Loss covers so many areas, from death, divorce, job loss and so on. So I will provide links to websites and articles that I have found in all these subject areas.

SOBs - Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (previously know as SOBS) is a self-help, voluntary organisation. Many of those helping have themselves been bereaved by suicide.

Review and Criticisms of Attachment Theory

The Attachment System Throughout the Life Course: Review and Criticisms of Attachment TheoryErin J. LeeRochester Institute of TechnologyAttachment theory is one of the most studied aspects of psychology today. Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment models are common references in attachment theory research

Effects of Separation and Attachment

An article on effects of Attachment and Separation

Domestic Violence 

Violence UnSilenced

This blog was created with the sole intention of shedding light on the epidemics of domestic violence and sexual assault by giving their survivors a voice.

Women's Aid

Women's Aid is the national domestic violence charity that helps up to 250,000 women and children every year.

By national I mean the United Kingdom

Domestic Violence and Claims of Change: Is It Possible?

A really interesting article on the cycle of abuse and if change really is possible for the perpetrator of the abuse.