Addictions - Including Substances, Depression ADD and ADHD Coping Strategies
Addictions - Including Substances, Depression
While some people can use prescription or recreational drugs with no negative effects, many others become addicted and face dramatic health and lifestyle problems as a result. Substance addictions negatively affect relationships, home, school or work, leaving the person feeling ashamed, helpless and isolated.
Physical symptoms of substance abuse and addiction are varied depending on the drug of choice, but the symptoms of the addiction itself are similar. People who are addicted to substances may neglect their responsibilities, take potentially dangerous risks and get into trouble with the law. As their drug use spirals out of control, they will lose interest in activities that used to be enjoyable and continue to take drugs despite knowing the harm it causes.
Substance addicts tend to build up a tolerance to their drug of choice, and get angry when they can't get more of it. Withdrawal symptoms are highly probable when an addict goes without it for too long. Depression, nausea, insomnia, sweating, restlessness, anxiety and shaking are all common withdrawal symptoms.
Psychotherapy can help you to overcome substance addiction by focusing on correcting maladaptive behaviors. Substance abuse is usually a coping mechanism against emotionally overwhelming past events or memories. Substances are often used to provide instant gratification instead of facing certain issues.
Therapists are equipped to help clients deal with addiction recovery through empowerment and helping them set simple short term targets. The first target is sobriety, followed by empowering the client with adaptive skills and finding new coping strategies that deal with the issues that caused the addiction. Substance addiction can be ended, allowing the person to live a healthy, productive life.
If you need a counsellor or psychologist to help you address the effects of substance addiction, you can search the directory below to find a professional with the approach best suited to your situation.
Depression is the most common psychological condition, and most people experience it at one point or another in their lives.
Symptoms of depression include lethargy, low self esteem, a feeling of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, dysphoric mood and even suicidal thoughts. People who are depressed usually feel a lack of energy and a lack of pleasure and they may be agitated or irritable.
Since there are so many causes to depression, which boils down to a natural response to life experiences (a defence mechanism), each situation warrants a thorough investigation into the exact catalyst. Depending on what causes a specific incidence of depression, a treatment plan can be developed to help the individual deal with his or her emotions.
Some people are predisposed to depression in that it can run in the family. In many cases, it is learned when someone is constantly exposed to it.
Counselling can help a person to adapt to life changes that are causing grief, particularly with bereavement or marital issues. Systemic therapy is helpful in family therapy, where the efforts of the whole family can help the individual. Psychodynamic therapy helps a person to find the hidden psychological defences that cause problems to manifest. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the problem at hand, providing solutions to day-to-day issues and finding ways to restructure negative thought patterns.
If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who has training and experience in depression counselling you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.
ADD and ADHD Coping Strategies, Psychodynamic Therapy, Shame Counselling & Therapy
Therapists offer a wide range of approaches and ADHD coping strategies that can be valuable in overcoming the challenges of ADD/ADHD. Coaching is an effective tool in the treatment of ADHD. While traditional psychologists offer a range of approaches to deal with emotional problems, those who work with ADHD clients help implement practical solutions that improve situations in everyday life. Known as behavioural therapists, they offer strategies to help you prioritize tasks, structure your environment and manage your finances.
Organizing your work and home environment for optimum results can make life a lot easier and therapists can help with that. They may come to your home or office and look at ways to improve the organization and make suggestions for increased efficiency.
If you have ADD/ADHD and you could benefit from learning how to organize your environment and to prioritize tasks, have a look at the counsellors listed below.
Psychodynamic Therapy can help clients to become aware of feelings of vulnerability that have been repressed from their conscious awareness. This approach is based on the theory that every person has an unconscious which stores vulnerable and painful emotions that are too deep to handle on a conscious level.
Psychodynamic Therapy addresses the defense mechanisms that have been developed. Defense mechanisms can sometimes do more harm than good. By resolving vulnerabilities such as repression and denial, painful emotions and memories can be processed in order for the defense mechanisms to be resolved, or reduced.
Therapists use a range of core principles in Psychodynamic Therapy, based on the client's needs. It will help the client to gain perspective while recognizing behaviours, actions, responses and character traits that can be transformed.
If you are looking for a therapist who offers Psychodynamic Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..
There are a variety of approaches to address the issue of shame. One of them is the Shame Resilience method is based on the research of Brené Brown, Ph.D. LMSW.
Shame Resilience is the developed ability to practice authenticity when we experience shame, to move through the experience without sacrificing our values, and to come out on the other side of the shame experience with more courage, compassion, and connection than we had going into it.
Shame Resilience is about moving from shame to empathy- the real antidote to shame. Self-compassion is also critically important, because when we’re able to be tender with ourselves in the midst of shame we’re more likely to reach out, connect and experience empathy.
Other approaches, like Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems (CIMBS) uses what is called a systems perspective that can address how an individual has learned to respond due to early trauma and or other developmental experiences.
Approaches to shame are not limited to the above. There are many other therapies that address feeling.
If you do contact a therapist regarding shame issues please make sure that you ask them about their training in this area and choose a therapist whose approach makes sense to you.
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