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.

Through the media, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has become quite well known.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or as it's commonly known, OCD is a common anxiety disorder in which a person feels fear, worry, apprehension and other intrusive thoughts. Most people diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder report childhood onset of symptoms, which could lead to a range of ongoing anxiety disorders.

It is common for the person to perform repetitive behaviors that are meant to reduce anxiety. A person can develop a range of compulsions or obsessions. Someone who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will repeatedly check on things (such as locking doors, switching off lights, etc.), obsessively wash their hands or clean their homes excessively.

In some cases, a person might become preoccupied with religious, violent or sexual thoughts, or have relationship-based obsession. They may become averse to certain words or numbers and perform nervous rituals, such as performing a certain routine repeatedly.

To other people, a person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder might seem paranoid. It could cause stress in a relationship or family, and could lead to severe financial or emotional distress. Since most people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder recognize their behavior as irrational, it can cause them even more distress.

Cognitive Behavioural therapy offers a range of techniques to assist people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. A specific technique used in OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP). This technique teaches a person with OCD to gradually learn to tolerate the anxieties caused by not continuing the rituals. Counsellors perform this and other therapies in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  to help with your repetitive, compulsive behaviour 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.