Chronic illness has the ability to affect you in more ways than just medically. In fact, it can impact you psychologically. The degree of impact is dependent on the person's personality and the circumstances before the diagnosis. Support structure plays an important role on a person's ability to cope, but oftentimes, a person has to go through various stages of dealing with the condition before they are able to adjust to the realities of the chronic illness.

When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he or she will go through a number of stages similar to the stages of grief. Denial, disbelief and shock are just some of the emotions a person experiences when a diagnosis is made, and it's natural for them to resist major changes. Eventually, they will become exhausted, when all they really want to do is to recover. At that point, fear and anxiety will set in and worry in the face of uncertainty of the future.

Sadness, grief and depression are common emotions when they consider the possibility of lost goals, hopes and dreams. Losing independence is a real fear, which becomes inevitable if an illness progresses and that brings about the fear of being a burden to loved ones, which brings on more anger, resentment and even shame.

Counselling can help a person to deal with the emotions relating to chronic illness and to cope with the stress and anxieties of accepting and coping with life changes. It will help to regain personal control over life and yourself.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with in chronically ill individuals you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Gender identity issues can make a person feel that nature has played a cruel trick, leaving them living in a body and role that is contrary to what they feel inside. However, as society becomes more accepting of gay and lesbian individuals it is also becoming much easier for people to admit that they are transgender than ever before. However, therapy can help people with gender dysphoria to cope with gender identity issues.

Most people with gender dysphoria prefer the term transgender as they deal with the social expectations of living a life that is authentic to their own emotions while conforming to their birth gender.

Whether you are confused about the possibility that you might be transgender, or whether you have accepted the reality, it is a good idea to speak to a therapist. If you are considering gender reassignment surgery, therapy will help you prepare for the psychological impact of the decision.

Living in your gender of choice will take a lot of courage, as well as some experimentation. You will have to learn how to find a congruent appearance, and explore different ways for you to present your body so that it relates to your true gender.

Counselling from a therapist trained in gender identity issues will provide a nurturing and non-judgmental environment for you to explore your emotions, fears and feelings regarding what is happening for you.  Individual and group therapies are common for gender dysphoric patients, while family therapy can help foster better communication, and understanding. Family therapy can help deal with conflicts that can arise from gender dysphoria.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers gender identity counselling to address your gender dysphoria issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that usually starts within the three months of a traumatic incident. It has been reported that in rare cases, PTSD symptoms may only occur after a number of years.

Three groups of symptoms are present in people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Increased anxiety / emotional arousal includes anger or irritability, overwhelming shame or guilt, sleeplessness and self-destructive behaviour. The second group of symptoms, known as intrusive memories, causes flashbacks to the traumatic event and upsetting dreams. The third group of symptoms that a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder patient may experience, includes emotional numbing or avoidance. This group of symptoms includes memory problems, poor concentration, feeling emotionally numb, a sense of hopelessness, and an avoidance of activities that the person used to find enjoyable.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms may be present for a while, disappear and then return again. General stress may increase the symptoms, as can reminders of the traumatic incident.

Therapists who address  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder generally use one, or a combination of trauma therapies to treat it. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is commonly used and can help a person to change their reactions to traumatic memories.

Exposure therapy can help a person reduce the amount of fear related to the feelings and thoughts associated with past traumatic events. Cognitive therapy helps a person to change the way he or she thinks about the event and the aftermath of a traumatic incident. It will help a person to identify thoughts that cause fear and anger, and learn ways to replace those thoughts with less stressful and more empowering thoughts.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and related issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

A positive self-esteem is an essential tool to help someone function as a productive member of society. Our basic sense of worth determines how well we are able to deal with situations and how well we perform in the family, at school, at work and in life.

Having a healthy self-esteem means that we have a sense of self-worth, self-respect and the ability to find the good in yourself. On the contrary, a negative self image can lead to social anxiety, loneliness, self-criticism, shame and even anger. A person with low self-esteem often feels isolated.

Self-esteem issues are usually created in childhood when negative experiences and poor influences and reactions from caregivers stunt the development of a positive self esteem. Self-esteem can also be affected by abuse, or by being different. A person may be stigmatized for his or her social identity, race, social class, behaviors or appearance.

However, a person's self-esteem can also be challenged during adulthood when one experiences marital issues, financial problems, career glitches or legal challenges.

Therapy can help a person come to terms with self-esteem issues. A therapist will help identify the causes of self-esteem issues and help the individual to regain control over circumstances through goal-directed therapy.

It can help someone with low self-esteem to separate who they are from what they have, or how they look in order to overcome low self-esteem issues. Discovering one's worth is a great way to take control of situations and to learn to feel adequate.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers goal directed therapy to address your self-esteem issues, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.