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Personal Effectiveness

Motivational Interviewing for Allied Health Professionals: Unlocking Client Motivation for Lasting Change

“How can I effectively motivate my patients?” This question resonates throughout the healthcare landscape. Whether you’re a physiotherapist guiding patients through rehabilitation exercises or a dietitian encouraging healthier lifestyle choices, eliciting motivation for sustained adherence can be challenging. The essence of effective motivation lies in recognising that intrinsic motivation—motivation that comes from within—is far more […]

Understanding Client Wellbeing

There are a wide range of factors that can impact how an individual perceives wellbeing, including their culture, and this perception can shift depending on their present circumstances and their life experiences. In other words, this also means that there are many different models and frameworks that attempt to explain the concept of wellbeing and […]

Workplace Burnout: Causes, Effects, Solutions

In recent times, the lines between work and home life have become increasingly blurred. The pandemic has seen many of us working longer hours, worrying about job security, looking after children during the working day, or experiencing significant changes in our means of social interaction. A study by Gartner (2021) revealed that only 9% of workers […]

Understanding Mental Health

Mental health can be defined as a wellbeing state whereby individuals realise their own potential. They could also cope with the common stresses of life and able to work in a fruitful and productive manner while contributing to their community in positive manner (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d., as cited in Queensland Health, 2017). It […]

Nature’s Effect on our Mental Health

If you’ve ever been stressed, anxious, or just feeling a little blue, you know that it can be tough to find the motivation to get out of the house and into nature. But check this out: several studies have found that being in nature for even short periods of time can have a positive effect […]

Managing Different Parts of Yourself

In this article we will highlight some useful models for working with clients’ ‘Parts’. Numerous psychological theory models seek to describe and explain the functioning of, the different aspects of our neurophysiology/personality and these in turn are used to explain our thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. Examples early on include Freud’s id, ego and super-ego and later on […]

How does being a counsellor affect your mental health?

Compassion Fatigue (CF), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and Vicarious Trauma (VT) have all been highlighted in the research literature as risks for counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (Sutton, et al, 2022). In the current post-pandemic era, burnout amongst mental health workers is a subject more prevalent than ever and subsequently has been studied […]

Understanding the Psychology of Motivation

Motivation is a well-known topic for organisations who are interested in getting the maximum results from staff. However, understanding motivation not only profits businesses; there are also benefits for individuals. This article will define motivation, provide a summary of motivation theories and look at strategies for how to apply these theories in practice.

Strategies for Creating (or Destroying) Habits

In a previous article, we defined habits, looked at how they are formed (through the lens of Duhigg’s and Clear’s models), and then outlined the science behind them. According to James Clear’s Four Laws of Behaviour Change (2018), there are four steps to establishing a habit: cue, craving, routine, reward (Clear, 2018). This article is about how we turn the above steps into practical actions/advice that can help clients not only alter the way they do things, but also make the changes stick.

Take the Mindful Path to Self-Care

Imagine a self-care strategy which relies solely on you. It can be done in a quiet space or on-the-go; it can take place individually or with like-minded others; and it can be flexible to your needs and circumstances. Furthermore, in a time when uncertainty never feels too far away, it is unlikely to become a casualty of lockdown or physical distancing. Within a working context, if utilised properly, this self-care strategy can enable you to become a better helping professional, as well as inform and improve upon your interactions and practices with clients. Welcome to the world of mindfulness.

The Science Behind Habit Formation

Oh, here we go again! You’ve got a wonderful new smart phone – or maybe a computer – with all the bells and whistles, but how do you make it work? How do you get from one screen or one app to the next? Chances are, the first day will involve a bit of brainwork; you’ll notice what happens when you push this button or come to that screen and you may feel slightly clumsy working it, but after a day or two, you will be so used to the new device that you will forget how the old one operated. So, from the brain’s perspective, what just happened?

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been a hot topic in business, personal development, relationships and the media for at least the past decade. While some see it as a touchy-feely or overly personal approach to leadership, many experts believe that it pays dividends in terms of productivity, performance, turnover, motivation and ultimately success. EI is the […]

Critical and Creative Thinking

In the 21st century, changes in society, economics, business, technology, science and the workforce are so rapid that many of the skills you learned in school or university will be obsolete shortly after you enter the workforce. Furthermore, unlike our parents who may have had two or three jobs in the same industry throughout their […]

Living a Mindful Life: Mindfulness Program

For quite some time now, many of our readers and students have wanted a Mindfulness program that not only teaches them about Mindfulness, but progressively helps them integrate Mindfulness into their lives for enhanced wellbeing. Well, we listened, and now we’re delivering! The resultant program is Living a Mindful Life. Living a Mindful Life This was […]