Family Violence, Women's Issues Mindfulness approaches

Family Violence, Women's Issues

FIRST!  
If you or your children are in immediate danger or need urgent medical attention, contact the police or ambulance services by calling 911 or the emergency number for your community.

Family violence or domestic violence negatively impacts on families and the individuals who form part of it. It is one of the most common reasons why the average North American women aged younger than fifty seeks emergency medical care.

Domestic violence includes a single incident of pushing a close family member around, or slapping them. However, family violence can also be much more severe, and in some cases even fatal. It includes repeated incidents of violent outbursts, and could result in homicide. It is much more common than most people want to believe, and it can quickly escalate without intervention.

Family violence usually starts out with controlling behaviours, in which the abusive spouse will make all the decisions, while isolating the victim. There will be verbal abuse and threats. The abuse usually works in cycles where arguments and threats will start causing tension before the violence takes place. The violence will generally become more severe as time goes by. Afterwards, the couple will reunite as the perpetrator apologises profusely and makes promises that it will never happen again. However, the cycle will repeat until the victim finds help.

Unfortunately, victims are generally to afraid to seek help, and that's why they usually stay in abusive relationships. They may experience severe post-traumatic stress disorder, fear, low-self-esteem and abandonment issues that can impact on all areas of their lives and help is necessary. Therapy is a potent tool to help facilitate healing in children who have experienced family violence.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers therapy to address family violence issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.  Remember, if there is any immediate danger seek emergency assistance first.

Women are complex, and often their need to feel heard and understood is not met in society. In this world, women are required to listen and to care, when they are often the ones who need nurturing, too.  Therefore, talk therapy has been found to be extremely beneficial in dealing with women's issues.

Talking can help a woman to better understand the feelings, thoughts and beliefs that manifest in certain unwanted behaviors. It can help pave the way to empowerment in terms of decisions and self-acceptance, two elements that can improve relationships and life in general. Working through these issues is essential because it determines a woman's experience of life and the people around her.

Women's issues are often at play when someone has experienced abuse (physical, emotional or sexual), relationship problems, physical conditions, family problems, or loss. Those issues can make anyone feel lonely or isolated, depressed, lacking confidence, anxious or stressed.

Talk therapy includes one-on-one consultations that will help you to learn to set clear boundaries, gain assertiveness and build self esteem in order to gain more control. In cases that involve other family members, group sessions will help to redefine relationships, improve communication and resolve resentment and anger issues. Businesswomen can benefit from women's issues counselling by learning how to develop themselves and to achieve work-life balance.

Counsellors and psychologists who deal with women's issues provide a safe and confidential environment in which you can express yourself, process your emotions and restructure your thoughts, while learning how to assert yourself as a woman in today's fast-paced world.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers talk therapy or counselling to address your women's issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Mindfulness approaches

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..

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

Katy Strachan

Ph.D., R.Psych
Dr. Katy Strachan has been a Registered Psychologist in the Vancouver area since 1994. She has specific interests in women’s counselling, relationship issues, parenting issues, victim’s assistance,... Read more

Mandy Rai

M.C., RCC
    • Online booking
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who uses a collaborative and person-centred approach to support clients in their journey toward self-discovery and healing. I offer a range of treatment options from a trauma-... Read more