The Mental Emotional Health Blog

I like to get word out about resources that seem useful. Today I am providing some words from the Counselling Directory, which is located in the United Kingdom. I looked through the website and found it straightforward in presenting a good list of resources for finding mental health services.

I have copied some information below. I hope it’s helpful for those of you in the UK.

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Counselling Directory

 

Counselling Directory was set up with a simple but much needed purpose – to put those who need help in touch with those people who provide it.

 

Over an average year, around one in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem - whether it be work-related stress, a family crisis, or something more serious like abuse. Depression is the most common mental illness, affecting one if five people. Counselling provides a welcome alternative to medication, and encourages people to deal with their issues rather than continually suppressing them, which can lead to more serious problems.

 

Of course, the decision to undertaken counselling is not one that anyone takes lightly. Many consider the idea for months or even years before deciding to take the plunge.

 

The main hurdle anyone must overcome before opening themselves up to counselling is accepting they have a problem that needs dealt with. Whether it be an addiction, a mental health illness, suffering abuse or an eating disorder, no one likes to admit they are struggling. Often friends and family will try to encourage the person to accept they need help, but the decision must ultimately come from the person themselves.

 

Finding the right counsellor is essential, and there are many things to consider. Counsellors often specialise in certain areas, so it’s important the individual finds one that addresses their specific needs, with an approach they’re comfortable with.

 

There are practical considerations too, such as location. Despite assured complete confidentiality people may prefer to see a counsellor that is perhaps outside their local area, but still in surroundings they are comfortable in.

 

In the current climate, price is becoming more and more of an issue. Many counsellors are now offering reduced rates for those unemployment or claiming benefits, and many are very accommodating so that all those that need help can have access to it.

 

Perhaps most importantly is ensuring the counsellor is fully qualified to practise. Currently there are no laws to regulate counsellors. However, there are accrediting bodies and qualifications guidelines suggest counsellors should obtain. There are academic qualifications in counselling - under-graduate, post-graduates and doctorates. Being accredited by a professional body - such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - means that the counsellor will have met several criteria, such as a certain number of hours of training undertaken, and hours practising under supervision.

 

This is where Counselling Directory comes in. A comprehensive searching tool, the site allows postcode, town and country searches, and produces a list of counsellors registered in this area. Each counsellor has a profile, listing a bit about themselves, their approaches, what areas they deal with, and all their training, qualification and experience and fees. The site shows which counsellors are registered/accredited with a professional body, and full profiles are only displayed after insurance and qualification documents are checked or membership with a professional body has been verified.

 

The site has also become a huge information bank - there are articles written by the counsellors, as well as comprehensive information on all kinds of distress - from depression to eating disorders to abuse, to help people identify their problems and become informed, not scared. There’s also a blog that reports the latest health news and developments.

 

We’ve heard from many people who have found Counselling Directory invaluable, reducing the amount of stress and worrying that can contribute to an already difficult enough process.

 

www.counselling-directory.org.uk

 

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I find discussions about and the application of change dynamics fascinating. (I’m guessing that’s the first you have read that sentence today.) I work in a “change” field as a Clinical Therapist. Each client brings a set of challenges and strengths, and their presence in the therapy room implies a desire for some type of change. And change occurs in the client and therapist every single time.

Anyway, types of change are on my mind today. If a person wants to change something in his or her life, the depth of that change depends on the type of change. First-order change happens when you change behaviors or solve problems on the surface; it’s like you are playing the same game with the same rules with different strategies. Second-order change is where deeper, typically more lasting change occurs. With second-order change, the rules of the game change and your perspective widens past the assumptions you previously held.

Failing to quit smoking is a great example. Many people attempt to keep their lives the same (same game, same rules) while trying to make an isolated change like trying to figure out how to quit (different strategies). If a second-order change is applied, a person can reinvent himself or herself overall (different rules) and create or enhance more habits that support the desired change. Second-order changes are changes other people can recognize too. These comments indicate when a second-order change might have been made:

Since he stopped smoking he became a new man.

She has a whole new outlook on life.

There is something different about you.

Way to think out-of-the-box.

You have grown up.

For those of you out there who prefer a visual representation of transformational change, check out this web page I found this morning (I have no affiliation with the site; just thought it explained orders of change pretty well): Break Out of the Box .

Therapy is:

• reminding people of their strengths as individuals.
• challenging habits of self-criticism.
• a series of beneficial conversations.
• a safe place to find your voice.
• more beneficial when the client trusts and feels comfortable with the therapist.
• funny.
• a way to generate options when you feel you don’t have any.
• a place to borrow hope when you have none.
• frustrating and rewarding.
• draining and energizing.
• confusing and enlightening.

I find it funny how some people personalize their vehicle or their home. I don’t know how it is around the world with this, but here in the Midwest and other parts of the United States are known to do this.

Example: if two or more people are walking back to their vehicles after some event they just left, the first person to reach their vehicle might identify the vehicle this way, “This is me.” The person could have said, “This is my car”, but I have heard the personalization many times. It’s just like if someone is being dropped off at home and tells the driver “This is me”, instead of “Here’s my home.” It’s not a big deal, I know. I have just always wondered how that originated.

Just be careful how you respond and don’t be too literal if someone uses the personalization . If you are dropping off your date at home and your date says, “Okay, this is me”, don’t respond with “Wow, you look old. Were you built in the 1920s?”

My first job when I was a teenager was as a summer custodian for my town’s middle school. That is where I first learned about asbestos, and the health risks associated with the substance. Today I have a guest post from Richard Moyle from the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.

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Dealing With Losing a Loved One to Mesothelioma

Losing a loved one to cancer (or any other disease) is incredibly difficult for anyone. You occasionally wonder, “Why them? Why did this have to happen to that person?” It’s even more difficult when there’s reason to believe the cancer or illness could have been prevented.

This is the case with a rare cancer known as mesothelioma. The only recognized origin for this type of cancer is exposure to a naturally occurring mineral known as asbestos. Asbestos was valued because of its sturdiness and resistance to fire and it was widely used for the majority of the 20^th century in a number of military and industrial applications. The most widespread uses were insulation, flooring, piping and brake lining.

The greater part of diagnosed cases can be traced back to job-related asbestos exposure. Regardless of the fact that many of the producers of asbestos products were aware of the health risks associated with the material, they kept on mass producing it to maximize their earnings. Countless people who were exposed were not alerted to situation and were never shown the correct ways to avoid exposure.

Other causative aspects to the difficult process of mourning the loss of someone to mesothelioma are the abruptness of the start of noticeable symptoms, diagnosis and the normally poor prognosis. Symptoms of this type of cancer characteristically take 25 to 50 years after primary exposure to begin showing. By this time the cancer is in its later stages and treatment options are usually inadequate. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is about one year.

Clearly when you combine all the factors and circumstances surrounding malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases, it causes quite a few different emotions for both the sufferer and the ones close to them. They may experience anger towards the people who permitted asbestos to be used so extensively with no warning of its undesirable health effects. They may feel aggravated by the typically futile situation mesothelioma presents or shock because of the unexpectedness or rapidity with which the disease progresses.

Persons left behind may deal with these feelings in a number of diverse ways. The anger people feel sometimes inspires them to take legal action against whoever was ultimately responsible for their loved one’s death. The sadness or grief they feel may motivate them to do all they can to raise awareness about this disease to avert further exposure and save the lives of others. Either one of these actions could be seen by the bereaved as a way of “righting the wrong” so to speak.

In general, everyone deals with the same emotions when they lose a loved one, no matter what the situation. But diseases like mesothelioma that can be traced back to the withholding of information for the purpose of making money tend to highlight some of those emotions a little bit more. Always remember that anyone who lets these emotions impede their daily lives may need assistance seeking help from a professional.

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If you visit asbestos.com an entire section on the website is dedicated to the grieving process. The site also has patient advocates on staff that can help families through these tough times.