Addiction

When behaviours such as drinking, taking drugs or gambling begin to dominate everyday life and individuals become unable to control these habits, they are considered to have an addiction. Addictions allow the individual to escape from their life and problems and can be formed to any activity; people can even become addicted to chocolate, shopping or sexual activities. These behaviours are considered addictions as the person has a lack of control over their actions. Much stigma surrounds the word addiction, however it is commonly accepted that an addiction occurs when an individual persistently practices that which cause them to be psychologically or physically dependent, even in spite of the consequences. Counselling can be an effective form of treatment, and will help the sufferer to recognise their illness and try to understand it.

Anger Management

Everyone knows what anger is, and most people have felt it at some point in their life. It is a completely normal, often healthy, human emotion. However if anger becomes out of control it may lead to many problems, at work, in personal relationships and in the overall quality of life. Anger is natures way of empowering individuals to protect against a perceived attack or threat, it is only the mismanagement of anger that causes problems. Anger can often be an unpredictable and powerful emotion.

Mismanaged anger can lead to many negative outcomes; domestic abuse, workplace violence, road rage, addiction and divorce are only a few examples. Anger is often triggered by perceived threats and is a common reaction when someone has been insulted, hurt or unfairly treated. However when anger is controlled and managed appropriately, it may have a positive influence, helping individuals stand up for themselves and fight against injustices.

Like most emotions, anger is accompanied by psychological and biological changes; the person's heart rate and blood pressure will typically increase, as will the level of adrenaline. Anger is possibly the most poorly handled emotion in our society; the goal of anger management therefore is to reduce both the emotional feelings and physiological arousal that anger creates. Knowing how to recognise and express anger in the correct way can help individuals reach their goals, solve problems and handle emergencies.

If you feel that your anger is really out of control, and is affecting your life, counselling can help you develop a range of techniques for changing your thinking and behaviour. Without help, anger can lead to a variety of personal difficulties.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are serious illnesses and differ from the normal feelings of nervousness. Anxiety is the fear of something that happened, or what we think happened and dread happening again. Although most people experience a relatively mild form of anxiety when facing particularly stressful situations, such as a presentation or speech, anxiety disorders are severe and can affect the day-to-day life of a sufferer.

If left untreated, those with the illness will avoid situations where they fear their symptoms may be triggered and this may lead to their career and personal relationships being affected.

Bereavement

The loss of a significant person or object in someone’s life is a high factor contributing to mental distress. Bereavement is the path that consists of grief and mourning to help overcome the trauma of a loved one passing away. However, everybody reacts differently to someone dying and have separate ways of dealing with the situation. Some sufferers can appear extremely angry or constantly upset, yet some people appear unaffected by the loss or unemotional. Depression is also a common process of bereavement and it is thought that people are particularly vulnerable to disorders such as depression if the loss occurred at a younger age. Certain dates such as birthdays or anniversaries will make the sadness and grief feel worse; however, as each year passes the sadness will lessen until the sufferer no longer feels they must hold onto the past.

If someone is bereaved it is extremely usual for them to encounter strong emotional feelings of distress and grief. If you are around someone suffering from bereavement it is important for you to understand that the sufferer must grieve in order to accept the death otherwise they will find it extremely difficult to move on from the situation and get on with their life.

There are a number of common phases a sufferer goes through during their grieving period, but everyone is different and therefore everyone has different ways of dealing with the loss. The most common reaction sufferers experience is feeling completely frozen which can last for quite a long time in some cases. A deep feeling of longing for the person then takes the place of the numb feeling which sometimes brings emotions such as anger, sadness and guilt with it.

As time passes, the emotional pain eases and the sufferer will feel a little bit better with every new day. However it is important to realize that the feelings of loss may never completely disappear.

Everybody reacts differently to situations and therefore the help required depends on the sufferer and the experience they have been through. Individuals that have adjusted poorly to the loss will more than likely find it harder to cope and may need to see a doctor who might prescribe treatment. It is common for sufferers of bereavement to see a counsellor or therapist. This type of help allows the sufferer to talk over their feelings with a professional who can guide them through their grief stages offering comfort and reassurance.

Stress

Stress is the wear and tear experienced as individuals adapt to a continually changing environment. Stress can be both positive and negative; as a positive influence, stress forces people into action and can boost energy and production, however as a negative influence, stress can lead to adverse physical symptoms and be detrimental to good health. Stress is caused by the body's innate reaction to defend itself, thus in an emergency stress will force us to exert maximum effort to protect ourselves. However when negative stress occurs, it's as if the body is prepared to face an emergency but no emergency happens; all the extra energy has nowhere to go, and the body is working overtime which leads to feelings of anxiety and worry. Negative stress can also lead to feelings of anger, distrust, depression and rejection, which may ultimately lead to headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure, an upset stomach and heart disease.

Stressors at both work and in personal lives may lead to stress, and each individual will cope differently with these levels of stress. What is extremely stressful to one individual may be thrilling to another. Different occupations will also have higher stress levels than others, and stress is recognised to be one of the main causes of sick absence from work. Problems occur when individuals perceive themselves as unable to cope with the level of stress they face, and feel they are not capable to combat their stress. Changes in personal lives, such as the death of a loved one, a job promotion, a new relationship or the birth of a child will also cause stress as adjustments in our lives are needed to be able to cope. In these cases, stress may either hinder or help changes depending on how the individual reacts.

Thus the aim should never be to eliminate stress, but to learn how to manage it and how it can be used to help us. Stress can cause problems or make problems worse if ways of coping with it are not found.

Workplace Counselling

The anxiety created by both individuals and organisational demands on workers place a significant role in influencing the quality of employees’ work life. The rapid pace of life brought about by constant technological changes and development are a real source of stress. The impact of this on productivity and overall organisational performance should not be underestimated. This dynamic and stressful environment within which organisations operate call for organisations to be physically, mentally, and spiritually supportive of their employees.

Organisations are constantly facing changes and dilemmas which affect their employees. That can be unsettling and pose a real challenge. The role of workplace counselling is increasingly recognised as providing the essential support to help staff face these challenges and in turn support the organisation.