Almost all substance use affects the “reward mechanism” in the brain. The main chemical messenger involved in the brain’s reward mechanism is dopamine. Each time the person uses a substance they will tend to feel ‘good’, which makes them want to use the substance again. Over time, changes in the brain occur (e.g. less dopamine […]
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Classical Conditioning and Social Learning
Learning is a change in behaviour based on previous experience. It may involve processing different types of information. Learning functions can be performed by different brain learning processes, which depend on the mental capacities (of which are dynamic) of learning subject/agent, the type of knowledge which has to be acquitted, as well as on socio-cognitive […]
- April 16, 2010
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Counselling Therapies
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Suicide: Impulsive vs Planned
Suicide is a serious health problem. The World Health Organization estimates that one suicide attempt occurs every three seconds and one completed suicide occurs approximately every minute (WHO, 2000). Each day, approximately 210 Australians attempt to end their life and each year over 2500 will commit suicide. Suicide in Australia kills 8.5 times more people […]
- April 8, 2010
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- Self-harming & Suicide
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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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Graded Exposure with Anxiety
When a person has experienced anxiety in a certain place or situation previously, they are more likely to anticipate the anxiety recurring under similar circumstances. This can lead to avoidance, which further reinforces the anxiety and its association with the particular place or situation where the anxiety initially occurred. The decrease in anxiety, when the […]
- March 29, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Counselling Theory & Process
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Passionate About Helping Others
It’s rare these days to hear people talk about their work with true passion. You hear so many stories of people working to pay the bills; putting up with imperfect situations; and compromising on their true desires. That’s why it’s always so refreshing to hear regular stories from graduates living their dream to be a […]
- March 22, 2010
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- 10551
- Counselling Theory & Process
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A Counselling Case Study Using CBT
Jocelyn works as a Human Resources Manager for a large international organisation. She is becoming more and more stressed at work as the company is constantly changing and evolving. It is a requirement of her job that she keeps up with this change by implementing new strategies as well as ensuring focus is kept on […]
- March 18, 2010
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- Case Studies, Counselling Therapies, Workplace Issues
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Grief Counselling through Questioning
Questioning is used for therapeutic assessment and to facilitate the client’s expression of emotion, which is a crucial part of the therapeutic process in complicated grief counselling. Examples of questions and their purposes are outlined below. Questions “Can you tell me about the death?” “What happened that day”? “Where were you when you found out […]
- March 16, 2010
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- 104126
- Counselling Theory & Process, Loss & Grief
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Characteristics of Addiction: Loss of control
Loss of control in its broader sense encompasses both the relative inability of an addict to terminate consumption once initiated and the inability to refrain from substance use following a period of abstinence (Lyvers, 2000). This has been attributed to impairments in the area of the brain that is responsible for executive functions including behavioural […]
- March 12, 2010
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- 6720
- Addictions, Clinical Mental Health
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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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Beck Depression Inventory
The Beck Depression Inventory is copyrighted by the Psychological Corporation. Material here presented is only for educational purpose because the BDI should be used only by registered professionals. The original version of the BDI was introduced by Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock and Erbaugh in 1961 (cited in Victims’ Web, 2007). The BDI was revised in […]
- February 26, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Diagnosis & Treatment
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Characteristics of Addiction: Compulsive Use
Addictions may manifest in numerous ways, but generally they share three common characteristics – often referred to as the three C’s of compulsive use, loss of control and continued use. In this post we’ll focus on the role compulsive use plays in addictive behaviour. Compulsive use has three elements: reinforcement, craving and habit. Reinforcement refers […]
- February 24, 2010
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- Addictions, Clinical Mental Health
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Theoretical Principles of Narrative Therapy
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 […]
- February 22, 2010
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- 22288
- Counselling Therapies
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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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How Healthy Intimacy is Developed
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 […]
- February 16, 2010
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- Relationship & Families
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