Psychotherapy Counselling Geelong East

26/11/2023

🍂🦝🍂

05/11/2023

Check out this amazing discovery in Brazil! Scientists have found a previously unknown species of living creature, which they're calling the 'blind snake'. But just looking at its unique appearance makes me feel so fascinated and curious! 😱 Check comments👇

16/01/2023

16/01/2023

A young woman from Victoria who contracted a rare parasite on holiday in Thailand is urging travellers to l...

14/10/2022

This is a master manipulator.
“A person who controls or influences others in a clever or unscrupulous way.”

This is why we must love, accept, and trust ourselves, so that we can stand up to unscrupulous behavior.

When we doubt our feelings, and push them away, and then write a story like, “Oh they didn’t treat me so bad, I must have done something to provoke it” or you use toxic positivity and say,
“I shouldn’t have reacted so negatively” we are giving in to the manipulation and abandoning ourselves.
It’s okay to respond “negatively” there is nothing wrong with you when this happens.

Of course own your response in a situation, but make sure you communicate that the other person MUST own their behavior, otherwise there can be no helpful resolution.
Nothing will change and you deserve to be seen, heard, respected, and loved. 💛

(The only way to win with a manipulator is not to play. Leave their playground.-unknown)

25/08/2021

registered practitioner of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy via the Forum for Independent Psychotherapists and I work as a psychotherapist within the Cambridge area. Registered practitioner of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy via the Forum for Independent Psychotherapists wor...

12/08/2021

I have been informed by the Department of Health that Covid restrictions now require that therapy sessions are only to be conducted online. If you are unsure of how to do this, do ask and I'll talk you through it. It isn't difficult to do. I'll post again on this as soon as Covid restrictions ease.

13/03/2021

A very positive review of a book I co-wrote. Published by Australian Scholarly Publishing just last year.

First built in 1867, the remarkable Gothic structure of the former Ararat Lunatic Asylum, colloquially known as Aradale, has overlooked the regional town of Ararat for over 150 years.

02/03/2021

I am a qualified therapist with more than thirty years experience

16/02/2021

Grief is a strong and sometimes overwhelming emotion.
Whether stemming from loss of a loved one, a terminal diagnosis or the sudden curtailment of a defining aspect of your sense of self, grief can be debilitating and immensely painful. All of these scenarios are about loss, and grief is about loss.
It is not easy to describe grief. It is often complicated by ambivalence; sorrow and disappointment may be mixed with anger, guilt, anxiety and relief, all melded into the one experience.
Grief is the natural reaction to loss; it is both a universal and personal experience, influenced by the nature of the loss and your own personal resiliencies at the time the loss is encountered. The death of a life partner is not the same as a sudden loss of mobility, or a divorce where dreams and trust are shattered.
When you are grieving, it is important to realize you cannot control the process but you can prepare yourself for the varying experiences that accompany the process of grieving. It can’t be controlled, but it can be managed. Understanding why you are suffering can help; so can talking to others and addressing the issues that generate significant emotional pain. The loss encountered through the death of a loved one is often exacerbated by feelings of guilt; “What should I have done that I didn’t do? What if I had seen the signs earlier? How could I not have noticed? Why wasn’t I able to be more patient, more caring, more present?” Such are the complexities around grief.
Grieving can last for months or years. Generally, pain lessens as time passes and as the grieving person adapts to the way their life has changed. But grieving can also get stuck in a rut and even getting out of that rut can involve a form of grieving. Sometimes grief resolves itself over time; sometimes it can become a way of life, and that, in itself, can be crippling, and unnecessary, Grieving is a process towards healing if it progresses in a creative way. Sometimes help is needed for that to happen.
If you’re uncertain about how your grief is progressing, consult your doctor or seek help from a psychotherapist or counsellor. Outside help is sometimes necessary for people trying to recover and adjust to loss.
Whilst we cannot prevent the profound emotional turmoil that accompanies grief, greater understanding can help alleviate our fears, our hesitancies, our pain. Knowing what to expect and how to manage it can help us cope with our feelings, and hopefully bring us some comfort and resolution.

03/01/2021

When I cry more than my baby does.


Our culture expects of us, that giving birth, bringing a baby into the world is going to be a joyful experience, but that isn’t the immediate experience of a lot of people, and particularly young mothers. That’s difficult, because with such a strong expectation that a mother will delight in the experience, a person who is finding their experience difficult will often think that they are seen as failing or inadequate in the eyes of those around them, even if it’s not the case.

It is common for parents to go through a period of exhaustion, shock and stress following the birth of their baby, and many people initially feel emotional and tearful as they come to terms with such a life-changing experience. This period of 'baby blues' is well known among new parents; usually it only lasts for a few weeks, but for some, baby blues develops into a much deeper and longer-term form of struggle, professionally designated by the term ‘postnatal depression’ (PND).

What are the signs of postnatal depression? Who does it affect, and what are the strategies and resources that have been developed to address it?

Firstly, it’s common. Others have been here before, and have found ways through.
Postnatal depression usually develops within the first year following the birth and its onset can be gradual or sudden. According to the NHS, it affects one in 10 women and one in 10 men.
It can be triggered by a combination of factors that are brought into focus during or following childbirth, and the symptoms can vary hugely in intensity. They are like those of general depression.

Sufferers may become emotionally withdrawn, feel overwhelmed with despair, guilt and worthlessness. Eating and sleeping patterns might change and many people have reported feeling a lack of interest in everyday life. The ability to function normally becomes impaired and this can impact badly on many other aspects of life. It can mess up your ability to make good decisions, and this often adds to the sense of unworthiness and being overwhelmed, and can leave lasting feelings of regret and guilt.
Many people are unaware that they have postnatal depression and because it isn’t named, they miss out on getting the support that’s needed to deal with it and recover.

Some people find it difficult to take the first steps needed to seek support, but treatment for postnatal depression is crucial for improving quality of life and restoring the enjoyment of living and being a parent.
It is an individual illness. It affects each person quite differently to the next. Just like general depression, PND can vary be mild and only last a few months; it can be severe and persist for more than a year. Some people experience a number of intense symptoms, others just a few.

In most cases, symptoms of postnatal depression will start soon after the birth of a baby, and it's due to this that they can go unrecognised, often mistaken for natural 'baby blues'. There are, however, stark differences between feeling emotional following the birth of your baby, and feeling persistently low, anxious and lethargic.
Signs and Symptoms of Post Natal Depression

• A persistent feeling of sadness, feeling down and tired about everything. You may feel particularly low at certain times of the day.
• Loss of interest in everyday life and the things that once gave you pleasure.
• Not enjoying spending time with your baby.
• Feeling constantly exhausted and tired.
• Getting tearful for no apparent reason.
• Feeling hopeless about the future.
• An overwhelming sense of worthlessness, guilt, blame and despair.
• Feeling unable to cope.
• Constantly irritable and angry.
• Increasingly apathetic.
• Feelings of hostility and indifference to your baby.
• Feelings of hostility and indifference to your partner.

Changes to the way you function in your day-to-day world.

• Disturbed sleep; feeling sleepy all day but struggling to sleep at night.
• Difficulty concentrating and finding it hard to make decisions. Making decisions that later seem incomprehensible.
• Low self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Changes to appetite and eating habits (eating more, eating less, forgetting to eat, eating foods that are not helpful, eating at odd times).
• Thinking about su***de or self-harm.
• Loss of libido.
• Increasing isolation from friends and family; avoiding social events.

If you are experiencing post-natal depression, practical and emotional support can be very helpful to give you time, space and energy to devote to yourself, but this is not always enough to help you to recover. Accessing effective and early treatment for postnatal depression is an important step towards recovery.
If you are experiencing symptoms, having the opportunity to talk these through, how you are feeling and thinking, with someone who can understand and hear you in a non-judgemental way, and with the benefit of professional understanding, can be very helpful in finding a way through. It can not only give you an opportunity to share experiences which can help you feel understood and not alone, but also help you develop effective ways to deal with the challenges you are facing.

Psychotherapy and counselling can help to identify what is really going on, beyond the fog and confusion of the emotions that erupt in a post-natal situation. If you are depressed, it is probably that you will be viewing everyday events and opportunities in a negative way, reflecting and contributing to the way that you are feeling. Over time this negative thinking can become habitual and actually maintain your negative (depressed feelings) towards yourself, others and life in general.
It doesn’t have to.

If you would like to have an appointment to discuss this further call me on 03 4242 6847 or email me on sga.waldron21@gmail.com

07/12/2020

Relationship Counselling
A romantic relationship is one of the closest forms of relationships that we have, but it is rarely simple and if you choose to get married, buy a home or start a family together, well, this only adds to the complexity. What if the pets don’t get along???
No relationships are conflict free but there’s a big difference between the odd disagreement and habitual arguing; when you’ve lost the fun element in your relationship, that’s when you might start to question whether it’s worth it. But these types of relationships are the amongst the most important we ever have, and when they begin to falter, our health and our happiness can really suffer, and it often affects everyone around us.
For many of us, our first instinct is to try and work through the problems alone, but it can be incredibly helpful to seek outside support, whether that be through friends and family or the help of a skilled professional.
What is relationship counselling?
Relationship counselling is an effective way of sorting things out, finding ways of resolving knotty problems or working out ways of concluding a relationship without tearing each other apart.
Sessions take place in a safe space. They might look at ways of improving communication and resolving issues within the intimate relationship. Sometimes it’s important to just be one-on-one with the counsellor, to talk through your own feelings, your own responses and ways of seeing things, and often sessions are done together so you can look at how you work, as a couple, or a family.
Much of the work takes place in the counselling room but often the counsellor will ask you to do some ‘homework’, specific things you need to practise, to explore at home what you’ve talked about in the counselling sessions.
As a relationship counsellor, my role is to facilitate positive change and bring about resolution by helping you both communicate more effectively and reach your own conclusions under professional guidance.
You won’t simply be told what to do, and I won’t give you the answers to whether or not you should stay together or separate, but I will offer you resources and expertise to help you search out your answers.
Many people feel embarrassed when a relationship is running into trouble but that’s pretty normal so don’t feel embarrassed about asking for an appointment to talk about it. That’s what I’m there for.
For some, the suggestion of couples counselling is considered a 'last resort' to save a relationship. While that might sometimes be the case, you don’t have to wait until things get bad between you before going for help. Many couples use therapy sessions as a way to keep their relationship healthy and address minor niggles that may become conflicts in the future. And sometimes, therapy is a great way to enhance a really good relationship, and make it even better.
If you’d like to talk to me about any of these things, my phone number is 03 4241 6847 and my email is sga.waldron21@gmail.com