Be Yourself Counselling

20/11/2024

A fascinating and quite disturbing insight into having Bipolar Disorder.

Even though the insight is small, it is still impactful and thought provoking to watch and hear.

Victoria Derbyshire speaks to celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal about his diagnosis for bipolar, working 120 hour weeks and being “triggered” by popular kitch...

29/08/2024

Coercive and controlling behaviour has been a crime since 2015.
It is known that this behaviour causes great damage, both physically and psychologically, hence it is a criminal offence.

But how to best help the victims is still a poorly understood area, not just for the social work profession as mentioned in the article, but also for healthcare professionals overall.

My work with victims of coercive control and psychological manipulation has highlighted the very specific problems that they have to overcome.

I hope this continues to be highlighted and eventually lead to there being more of the right help and support for the survivors of coercive and controlling behaviour.

Call for mandatory training to spot controlling behaviour, after BBC analysis of social-work courses.

20/08/2024

This is a really interesting talk on addiction and how a different approach may be far more effective in helping addicts recover.

"The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection"

Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.What really causes addicti...

05/08/2024

One week has passed since the unimaginable events here in Southport.

There is no doubt this will be one of those “I remember where I was when...” type things.

Me personally, I was out of the country, watching events unfold on the news, unable to process what I was watching and hearing.

This was happening in my town. This is where I live. I’ve been down that road countless times and I have family members that are just a couple of streets away. It made no sense and 7 days on, it still doesn’t. I suspect it never will.

I don’t want to focus on the mindless, uneducated, morons that have subsequently hijacked this. The news channels are taking care of that.

But watching, from hundreds of miles away, how the vast majority of people reacted with tributes, solidarity and love has been uplifting. However, knowing the community here as I do, not at all surprising.

My wife and visited the various sites to lay floral tributes along with the thousands that are already there. The eerie silence was deafening. There were people staring into space, probably trying to make sense of something that makes no sense. To me it felt overwhelming. Like there was too much emotion for one person at one time. I can't imagine what it must be like for those closer to the centre of this.

This tragedy will touch thousands of individuals. Obviously, the friends and families of those poor little girls that were lost, as well as those still recovering in hospital. But more widely, the first responders who’s job it is to go into the scene when others are being told to stay away for their own physical, emotional and psychological safety. The parents that heard about what was unfolding and for a brief period of time could not be sure that their own children or grandchildren were not victims. The passers by that witnessed unimaginably horrific scenes and then their friends and family that were told what they had seen. The people whose children have been at that same venue who will now be having dreadful thought about what might have happened to them.

The trauma of this tragedy is likely to touch most people in our community and even further afield.

As a trained therapist I am acutely aware of the impact of trauma on a person’s life, so I want to extend an offer of free therapy to anyone in our community who feels they just want to talk about how this has affected them. I would hope those closest to the tragedy are being taken care of by supportive measure put in place for victims and survivors in these circumstances, but, as mentioned, this touches the lives of so many.

Naturally, there are only a finite number of spaces I have available but if you feel it would help to just talk about things then you can get in touch through my website at www.beyourselfcounselling.co.uk/contact

Please do not message me through Facebook, I tend not to see those messages due to certain privacy settings etc.

To everyone that has been affected by this, please don’t bottle things up. Please talk, share, check on loved ones, and, importantly, allow yourself to feel your emotions. It will help you recover in the long run.

Take care.

01/05/2024

Southport EMDR is your local EMDR therapy specialist.

If you're not sure how EMDR therapy can work, here is a short read that may help you understand a little more.

To arrange your free, no obligation, initial consultation visit www.southportemdr.co.uk

https://www.beyourselfcounselling.co.uk/post/what-can-i-expect-from-emdr-therapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and evolved from her observations of how eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts. Extensive research has continued to show it's effectiveness in alleviating symptoms of PTSD...

25/04/2024

I am delighted to announce that Be Yourself Counselling can now offer EMDR therapy as part of it's service to the local community.

EMDR therapy is considered the 'gold standard' when it comes to treating PTSD and other symptoms of trauma.

In addition, it is highly effective as a way of helping with things such as anxiety, depression, low self confidence or self esteem, phobias and many more of life's challenges.

I have created a dedicated website where you can read more and also arrange your no obligation, free initial consultation.

EMDR therapy for help with trauma, anxiety and many other challenges to everyday life. Southport EMDR is your local therapy specialist.

20/03/2024

Simply not acceptable.

Allegations of poor practice at major UK provider Health Assured have been made to BBC File on 4.