Mental Health Counselling

If you struggle with a highly sensitive personality, this memoir and collection of stories will help you heal and flourish. Benita A. Esposito is a licensed professional counselor and best-selling author with four decades of professional experience. Even smart high-achievers have themes on their hero’s journey to the authentic self, and these were hers. What unconsciously drew her to an emotionally distant relationship or an emotionally abusive relationship? Why did she feel so hurt when others judged her? Why was she so tired? What compelled her toward self actualization?

For most of us, the major questions of life continue to perplex: Who am I? Why am I here? How should I live? In the late 19th century, a class of thinkers emerged who made solving these problems central to their work. They understood that human questions demand human answers and that, without understanding what it means to be human, there are no answers. Through the biographies and theories of luminaries ranging from Sigmund Freud to Erich Fromm, Frank Tallis shows us how to think about companionship and parenting, identity and aging, and much more.

Have you ever had a conversation with a friend or relative that’s hit a nerve and you can’t figure out why it bothered you so much? Over the course of her 15-year career, Emma has discovered that the root of this pain and confusion often lies in a blind spot: a gap in our awareness that distorts how we perceive ourselves and our loved ones which, left unchallenged, can leave us feeling unloved, insecure or overwhelmed. Emma reveals the four blind spot profiles along with client case studies to demonstrate how they show up in daily life, and exercises to help us see past them.

Whatever loss you have experienced, this book can help you to make sense of it; guiding you through those difficult and overwhelming emotions, explaining how these fit into the universal psychological process of grieving—and showing you a path to creating a more content life. Psychotherapist Christine Hopfgarten looks in detail at different reasons that we may encounter feelings of loss and grief, including bereavement, relationship break-up, losing a job, infertility, miscarriage and illness, and provides focused help.

Burnout is more widespread than ever before, and it's time to do something about it. Rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this book delves into the systemic, cultural, and economic contexts that contribute to burnout, and gives you the tools to exit the cycle. Exercises and reflection questions help you reconnect with your values to find what's really important, and disentangle yourself from unhelpful thought patterns. By engaging with your emotions rather than avoiding or suppressing them, ACT allows you to respond more effectively and become re-engaged in your own life again.

Americans spend $13 billion a year on pornography, the regular viewing of which is linked to higher acceptance of violence against women and adversarial sexual beliefs. Therapists and pastors are not always adequately equipped to address the unique demands of competent care for those struggling with sexually addictive behaviors. Reclaiming Sexual Wholeness, edited by Todd Bowman, presents cutting-edge research from a diverse group of experts in a single, comprehensive resource intended for therapists, clergy, and others in helping professions.

Challenges the notion that clients with PTSD must revisit, review, and process their memories to recover from trauma. Multiple therapeutic transcripts illuminate key points in trauma treatment, including stabilizing clients who dissociate, identifying and implementing hidden somatic resources, and utilizing good memories and somatic markers. With an authoritative yet personal voice, Rothschild's book is essential listening for anyone working with those who have experienced trauma.

“If only I could get some closure…” If you’ve found yourself saying these words, you’re not alone. When you’ve lost a relationship, a job, or a loved one, closure can seem as elusive as it is necessary. Psychotherapist and relationship coach Gary McClain says it’s one of the most common—and important—issues his clients bring up. In this empathetic and insightful guide, Dr. McClain explains why the promise of closure is so appealing—and why it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be.

In The Talking Cure, psychotherapists Gill Straker and Jacqui Winship bring us nine inspiring stories of transformation. They introduce us to their clients, fictional amalgams of real-life cases, and reveal how the art of talking and listening helps us to understand deep-seated issues that profoundly influence who we are in the world and how we see ourselves in relation to others.

The Couples Therapy Workbook: 30 Guided Conversations to Re-Connect Relationships is a series of guided questions to promote meaningful conversations between couples and build ongoing, connected communication. The core of this unique guide is 30 guided conversations of the most critical relationship struggles. For each of the 30 topics, there is an introduction, goal-setting strategies, and 10 scripted questions to ask each other—all presented in an easy-to-use, mindful style.

Dr. Bob Beare’s book is a framework and a guide to emotional freedom. It provides powerful insights on how to go beyond therapy and create a meaningful and purposeful life—a reminder that, with support, we can transcend the patterns that keep us stuck!

When treating a client who has suffered from interpersonal trauma - whether chronic childhood abuse or domestic violence, for example - talk therapy isn't always the most effective course. For these individuals, the trauma and its effects are so entrenched, so complex, that reducing their experience to a set of symptoms or suggesting a change in cognitive frame or behavioral pattern ignores a very basic but critical player: the body.

Seeking reassurance to remove doubt or fear is natural, and we all do it from time to time. However, it becomes a compulsion when it develops into something repetitive and ritualistic. This compulsion is linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), can perpetuate and worsen this condition, and can also create conflict between you, your friends, coworkers, and loved ones. So, how do you stop? The Compulsive Reassurance Seeking Workbook offers proven-effective tools to reduce compulsions, make peace with uncertainty, and better manage your OCD.

Renee is stunned when Colin tells her he wants a divorce. As a last-ditch effort save their marriage she turns to Dr. Jason Kincaid, an eccentric therapist who specializes in helping couples whose relationships are at risk. What Renee doesn't know is that Colin has his own agenda for agreeing to therapy, one that involves secrets he doesn't want revealed.

Will Jason's irreverent approach to counseling help save their marriage? Or will he simply be their first stop on their road to an ugly divorce? If you had the opportunity to be a fly on the wall of a therapist's office, would you take it?

The Practitioner’s Guide to Mirroring Hands describes in detail how "Mirroring Hands" is conducted and explores the framework of knowledge and understanding that surrounds and supports this therapeutic process.

Therapeutic counseling in a Christian context can be highly effective when it maintains narrowly focused goals in a time-limited setting. The details of this proven model of pastoral counseling are described in this practical guide. This second edition of Strategic Pastoral Counseling has been thoroughly revised and includes two new chapters. Benner includes helpful case studies, a new appendix on contemporary ethical issues, and updated chapter bibliographies. His study will continue to serve clergy and students well as a valued practical handbook on pastoral care and counseling.

This extraordinary book presents scenarios of one family's therapy experience and explains what underlies each encounter. You will discover the general patterns that are common to all families - stress, polarization and escalation, scapegoating, triangulation, blaming, and the diffusion of identity - and you will gain a vivid understanding of the intriguing field of family therapy.

Adult children of narcissists have been conditioned to downplay, dismiss, and ignore their experiences. This survival skill of staying below the radar can cause even very skilled clinicians to miss subtle opportunities to connect. It is paramount that clinicians understand the scope of these clients' experiences in order to support their healing—and to avoid the common clinical mistakes and pitfalls that often lead to inadvertently repeating harmful cycles.

In a society that values independence, self-preservation, and individualistic thinking, we are missing the key to fulfillment: Connection through attachment. Simply, attachment is the way that we connect to each other. Without attachment, people feel alone to deal with challenges they face, which leads to distress, dysfunction, and mental health disorders. Improve your client's relationships by teaching them strategies to feel more connected reestablish trust, and restore positive emotions..

Since the beginning of time we have told stories to each other. As we have become more articulate, we have learned to include metaphors to emphasize our point. A story or metaphor can "paint a verbal picture", and help express what we really feel, think, and believe. For those in the wellbeing space, this is a potential goldmine for exploration and opportunity.