Counselling Connection

A narrative approach to counselling examines the stories people have constructed to define their lives and identities. Using narrative techniques, the counsellor assists the client in modifying narratives (stories) that are unhelpful or ineffective. If, for example, I have a dominant narrative that says that I am simply no good at cooking, it is likely that I have had many experiences over the course of my life to create and reinforce this narrative. I may have judged my cooking negatively by my own standards, I may have achieved poor grades in high school cookery, I may have had friends avoid eating meals I prepared ... Read More

Anxiety that is produced as a result of an actual situation (e.g. being in the dentist’s chair getting a tooth drilled) can become associated to events that surround the incident even when the component that originally activated the fear (a noisy drill that results in pain) is no longer present. For example, just sitting in the dentist chair while having fluoride treatment may end up evoking the same level of anxiety as when having drilling done. This process is known as conditioning. Conditioning is a type of learning process in which the person is conditioned to think or learns to associate ... Read More

Mental Health Academy (MHA) is a leading provider of professional development education for the counselling and mental health industry. One of the most exciting and innovative aspects of learning with Mental Health Academy are their online video workshops. MHA has a wide range of high quality video workshops, presented by well regarded practitioners - including AIPC staff. As an affiliate presenter of Mental Health Academy, we deliver video workshops via their portal. Right now, there are already 6 video workshops available for purchase - the links below provide more information about each of them: An Integrative Approach To Anxiety Counselling and ... Read More

Intimacy is one of the main ingredients of a successful, ‘ideal’ relationship along with passion and commitment (Hanna, 1991). Intimacy is a journey – it is not a tangible thing. It takes place over time, is ever-changing and is not stagnant. In fact, any kind of stagnation in a relationship may damage intimacy. It is important in the counselling process to have an understanding of how intimacy develops in a relationship as well as some of the factors that could potentially be harmful to the development of it. The following factors will be discussed in relation to the development of intimacy ... Read More

While the definition of adolescent can differ from culture to culture, it is generally accepted that the time referred to as adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood, a sort of “no man’s land.” Geldard and Geldard (2006) explain that adolescence is a time in a young person’s life where they move from dependency on their parents to independence, autonomy and maturity. The young person begins to move from the family group being their major social system, to the family taking a lesser role and being part of a peer group becomes a greater attraction that will eventually lead to ... Read More