Addictions - Including Substances, Eating Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Online / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling
Addictions - Including Substances, Eating Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
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.
Eating disorders comprise a range of attitudes and behaviors relating to food and body-image. The three main eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, and ED NOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). These conditions manifest to different degrees in different people and can sometimes be mistakenly judged as poor eating habits, or a lack of willpower.
People with eating disorders don't eat in harmony with their bodies' needs, instead, people with Anorexia Nervosa eat much less than they need, while Bulimia sufferers binge and then induce vomiting. They may also do other things to compensate for overeating, including exercising or fasting. ED NOS combines any combination of the other two conditions.
Apart from the physical symptoms and behaviors above, someone with an eating disorder will generally also have poor self-esteem and obsessively research or talk about food, dieting or exercise. Poor body image will cause them to either wear clothes that cover up every inch of their bodies, or flaunt in order to attract attention. They will find it hard to accept criticism and compliments.
Therapy for eating disorders depend on the patient. While some people respond well to short term outpatient treatment, others respond better to long-term inpatient treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy are long term treatments that have been proven to be effective, while group therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapies and feminist therapies work for people who will respond well to short term therapy.
Family therapy is often advised for children and adolescents who are experiencing eating disorders. Research has also shown dialectical behavioral therapy to be effective.
If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who addresses eating disorders, 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.
Online / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling, Psychodynamic Therapy
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..
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..
Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.
- (-) Remove Addictions - Including Substances filterAddictions - Including Substances
- (-) Remove Eating Disorders filterEating Disorders
- (-) Remove Post Traumatic Stress Disorder filterPost Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Abuse - Emotional, Physical, Sexual (3)Apply Abuse - Emotional, Physical, Sexual filter
- Addictions - Gambling (1)Apply Addictions - Gambling filter
- Addictions - Relationship (1)Apply Addictions - Relationship filter
- Adolescent Issues (1)Apply Adolescent Issues filter
- Adoption Issues (1)Apply Adoption Issues filter
- Anxiety and/or Panic (4)Apply Anxiety and/or Panic filter
- Cancer Care and Support (1)Apply Cancer Care and Support filter
- Chronic Illness (1)Apply Chronic Illness filter
- Covid-19 Life Balance (1)Apply Covid-19 Life Balance filter
- Creativity (1)Apply Creativity filter
- Death and Dying (1)Apply Death and Dying filter
- Depression (4)Apply Depression filter
- Dissociative Disorders (1)Apply Dissociative Disorders filter
- Divorce and/or Separation (2)Apply Divorce and/or Separation filter
- Family Issues (1)Apply Family Issues filter
- First Nations Issues (1)Apply First Nations Issues filter
- Grief and Loss - General (2)Apply Grief and Loss - General filter
- Intimacy Issues (1)Apply Intimacy Issues filter
- LGBTQ Issues (1)Apply LGBTQ Issues filter
- Parent/Teen Conflict (1)Apply Parent/Teen Conflict filter
- Parenting Issues (2)Apply Parenting Issues filter
- Perfectionism (1)Apply Perfectionism filter
- Personal Growth (2)Apply Personal Growth filter
- Self Harming Practices (1)Apply Self Harming Practices filter
- Self-Esteem Issues (1)Apply Self-Esteem Issues filter
- Sexual Assault (1)Apply Sexual Assault filter
- Sleep Difficulties-Children (1)Apply Sleep Difficulties-Children filter
- Spirituality (2)Apply Spirituality filter
- Stress Management (3)Apply Stress Management filter
- Teen Adjustment Issues (2)Apply Teen Adjustment Issues filter
- Trauma Counselling (4)Apply Trauma Counselling filter
- (-) Remove Online / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling filterOnline / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling
- (-) Remove Psychodynamic Therapy filterPsychodynamic Therapy
- ADD and ADHD Coping Strategies (1)Apply ADD and ADHD Coping Strategies filter
- Adolescent Therapy (1)Apply Adolescent Therapy filter
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (3)Apply Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) filter
- Dance-Movement Therapy (1)Apply Dance-Movement Therapy filter
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (1)Apply Dialectical Behaviour Therapy filter
- Drama Therapy (1)Apply Drama Therapy filter
- EMDR (1)Apply EMDR filter
- Emotion Focused Therapy (1)Apply Emotion Focused Therapy filter
- Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) (1)Apply Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) filter
- Expressive Arts Therapies (1)Apply Expressive Arts Therapies filter
- Family Systems (1)Apply Family Systems filter
- Feminist Psychotherapy (1)Apply Feminist Psychotherapy filter
- Focusing (1)Apply Focusing filter
- Internal Family Systems (1)Apply Internal Family Systems filter
- Meditation (1)Apply Meditation filter
- Mindfulness approaches (3)Apply Mindfulness approaches filter
- Motivational Interviewing (1)Apply Motivational Interviewing filter
- Narrative Therapy (1)Apply Narrative Therapy filter
- Process Work (1)Apply Process Work filter
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (1)Apply Sensorimotor Psychotherapy filter
- Shamanism (1)Apply Shamanism filter
- Solution Focused Therapy (1)Apply Solution Focused Therapy filter
- Somatic Approaches (1)Apply Somatic Approaches filter
- Spiritual Counselling (1)Apply Spiritual Counselling filter
- Telephone Counselling (2)Apply Telephone Counselling filter
- Video Counselling (2)Apply Video Counselling filter
- Visualization (1)Apply Visualization filter