Taking up further study can be a very exciting time as we take a step forward in our personal and professional lives. As we challenge ourselves to develop new skills and knowledge, a new framework to work from, and a new field to master, many of us embrace the role of student with both enthusiasm […]

Stress Management
Common Thinking Errors
Below is a list of descriptions that cognitive-behavioural counsellors can use to categorise automatic thoughts. These are descriptions of the common types of faulty thinking. All-or-nothing thinking: You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure. Overgeneralisation: You see a single negative […]
- June 29, 2010
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- 4020
- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management
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Basic Principles of Time Management
Struggling to find time in your daily life? Consider the following proven time management principles and techniques. The 80/20 rule The 80/20 principle is also known as the Pareto principle. It is based on the ideas of an Italian economist called Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto was a French–Italian economist and philosopher who lived between 1848 and […]
- April 6, 2010
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- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
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Cognitive Restructuring with Anxiety
Cognitive restructuring, straight thinking or logical reanalysis is based on the belief that the way we feel, behave and respond to situations is based on the way we think. This approach attempts to modify unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs. Cognitive restructuring, also known as cognitive reframing, is a technique drawn from cognitive therapy that can […]
- March 4, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Counselling Theory & Process, Diagnosis & Treatment, Stress Management
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Anxiety and Conditioning
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 […]
- February 18, 2010
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Stress Management
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalised anxiety disorder is a common chronic anxiety disorder that affects twice as many women as men (Brawman-Mintzer, & Lydiard, 1997). As the name implies, it is characterised by worry that is excessive and unrealistic and lasts more than six months. Long-lasting anxiety is not focused solely on one specific object or situation, however in […]
- February 9, 2010
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- 2126
- Clinical Mental Health, Diagnosis & Treatment, Stress Management
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Understanding Panic Attacks
People with panic disorder suffer severe attacks of anxiety which can make them feel as though they are having a heart attack or are going crazy. Symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, sweating, trembling, dizziness, difficulty breathing and feelings of losing control. Panic disorder involves at least one of these attacks followed by […]
- January 27, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Diagnosis & Treatment, Stress Management
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What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an adaptive reaction that everyone experiences from time to time, including animals. Anxiety alarms us of situations and circumstances that involve some threat of danger, and it enables our body to respond in ways that help keep us safe. This response is a useful survival mechanism, helping us to avoid or even prevent […]
- January 4, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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The General Adaptation Syndrome
General adaptation syndrome describes the body’s short-term and long-term reaction to stress. Originally described by Hans De Solye in the 1920s, the general adaptation syndrome describes a three stage reaction to stress covering our initial reaction to the stressor, our resistance and adaptation to coping with the stressor and our eventual exhaustion after dealing with […]
- December 10, 2009
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- 6655
- Counselling Theory & Process, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Unique Needs of the Suddenly Unemployed
Reactions to the news of sudden unemployment, whether through redundancy or dismissal, are as varied as the individuals affected. Emotional reactions can range from shock and disbelief to anger and resentment. Of course, there is no set template for how an individual will react to news of their job loss. Reactions are dependant on an […]
- November 23, 2009
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- Loss & Grief, Stress Management, Workplace Issues
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Creating a Relapse Prevention Plan
“Relapse prevention began with the work of Marlatt and Parks (1982) and Marlatt and Gordon (1985) who noted that after success with the treatment of various behavioural problems – such as smoking, drinking, overeating, drug addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder and gambling – clients very often fell back into their old behaviours. In fact, between 50% […]
- November 13, 2009
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Stress Management
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Stress, PTSD and PDSD
Many of us already know that stress is a double edge sword. Stress can be good for us when preparing us for a special or threatening event. Many will be familiar with the concept of the Fight and Flight Syndrome. When a threat is perceived, our brain and body prepares to do battle or to […]
- October 29, 2009
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- 50686
- Diagnosis & Treatment, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Relaxation Strategies for Counsellors
It is important to be aware of the way in which stress may be impacting on you and your counselling work. Which aspects of you are more susceptible to the influence of stress? Relaxation strategies “What do you find relaxing? Is it dancing, art, meditation, fishing, going for a walk with friends, reading a book, […]
- October 26, 2009
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- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Wellness
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Finding Balance Between Work and Life
According to the Australian National Occupational Health and Safety Commission Report, December 2003, high stress levels lead to thousands of stress-related WorkCover claims every year. Cases of mental stress had by far the highest median (8.5 weeks) and average (16 weeks) time lost, and accounted for 29% of all new cases of disease. This is […]
- September 30, 2009
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- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Workplace Issues
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What is Burnout?
Burnout is a syndrome which occurs due to prolonged emotional strain of dealing extensively with other human beings, particularly in helper and recipient relationships. Burnout is categorised as a type of stress. Unlike normal workplace stress which predominately affects individuals physically, burnout affects individuals emotionally. The term burnout was introduced in the 1970’s, and although […]
- September 10, 2009
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- Personal Effectiveness, Stress Management, Workplace Issues
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