Brain Injury, Chronic Illness Mindfulness approaches

Brain Injury, Chronic Illness

Brain injury can cause a many emotional difficulties. It can change the ways in which a person functions emotionally and in the way he or she expresses emotions. There could be a wide range of emotional difficulties, such as difficulty with controlling mood swings.

While some brain injury victims experience a change in emotions right away, others may take months to show changes in the way they behave. Some people with brain injuries will experience quick and intense emotional changes, but they will calm down again quickly. Alternatively, they may experience emotional lability, or severe mood swings.

These behavioural changes are sometimes the result of damage to the emotional center in the brain. There is not always a specific trigger that causes the sudden emotional response in the patient, and that can be very confusing for loved ones. They will often take the blame for the sudden outbursts on themselves, thinking that they did something to upset the patient. In some cases, the person might express emotions they don't feel at all, because they are unable to control the emotions they express.

In most cases, symptoms dissipate in the months following the brain injury, allowing the patient to return to more balanced emotional balance. However, people with brain injury and their families have found hope in working closely with a therapists. A therapists who offers brain injury counselling will help establish the cause of emotional changes and reassure the family and friends, while equipping them with better coping skills. A range of therapies can help improve emotional expression in brain injury patients.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling to address your brain injury issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

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.

Mindfulness approaches, Online / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling

Mindfulness approaches help clients to be focused in the here and now. Generally rooted in Eastern meditative techniques,  Mindfulness approaches offer a non-judgmental alternative therapy for dealing with stress and other psychological issues.

By observing worrisome thoughts and learning to accept situations for what they are, people can learn to cope with issues better and make more productive choices.

Mindfulness approaches include a range of models, including dialectical behaviour therapy,  mindfulness-based stress reduction, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. These approaches can be used in a wide range of settings to reduce the symptoms of a broad spectrum of psychological issues.  These therapies can be practiced effectively in individual or group therapy.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Mindfulness approaches, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Online Counselling or Online Internet Psychotherapy uses common technology to create major shifts in clients' emotional health. It is suitable to clients who wish to enjoy therapy from the comfort of their own homes, and therapists have noticed an increase in patients seeking help using this medium.

In order to attend online counselling sessions, clients and the therapist need access to fast internet connections and webcams. Online counselling is particularly useful for clients who can't leave home, or live far away from a therapist.

While online counselling is effective for helping with anxiety and other emotional conditions, it does not replace medical assistance in emergencies.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Online Counselling, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Jennifer Scott

M.A., RCC
    • Article(s) on profile
Please note I am now offering virtual counselling by phone or video as well as in-person counselling. Many clients have found virtual counselling just as effective as in-person counselling. I welcome you to give it... Read more

Joseph Tse

Ph.D., R.Psych
I am Registered Psychologist (#2491) in British Columbia. I enjoy working with adults on a variety of psychological concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress management, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).... Read more