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.

Adoption issues can affect adopted children and their adoptive parents alike. Parenting biological children can be hard, but adopted children need extra special care to deal with issues of rejection, abandonment and adjustment.

Communication is often one of the most difficult of adoption issues, where families are unable to express their emotions. Adoption can also impact on biological children and other family members, causing friction.

Adoptive parents may face adoption issues that relate to secrecy and reunion issues, sensitive parenting skills and talking to their children about adoption. More complicated issues could include special needs adoption, family rejection, genetic sexual attraction and adoption breakdown.

A therapist who has specialized training  in adoption issues will be able to help you navigate the way right from making the decision to adopt to building a successful blended family. He or she will help you decide whether an international adoption or a local adoption is better for your family, and help to prepare any biological kids for the impending adoption. Adoption issues therapy can be immensely helpful in helping a family to learn how to communicate openly with one another, and express emotions in a thoughtful manner.

If your family is experiencing adoption issues, or if you want to help your adopted child to transition smoothly from childhood into adolescence, it is a good idea to consider counselling. A counsellor who is experienced in adoption issues will help everyone understand how adoption affects the adoptive family, the biological family and, most importantly, the children involved. Counselling can help you learn vital parenting skills to help your adopted child deal with low self-esteem and abandonment, two common adoption issues.

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

Family conflict is very common in society today, but it also hurts. Family should be your closest friends and loved ones; the people with whom you can share anything and feel the most comfortable to be around. Family should be able to count on one another and support one another.

However, for many people around the world, the last people they are prepared to turn to in times of trouble, is their families. Many people see their families as a source of stress, misunderstanding, disconnect and anger. The only consistent feedback is dramatic arguments, unmet expectations, and emotional hurt.

It is not only dysfunctional families that have conflict. Even the closest of families don't have perfect relationships all the time; they also experience family conflict from time to time and it can be hurtful, frustrating and challenging. Family conflict presents as little irritations that grow to buried resentments to anger and dramatic arguments. Conflict with those people with whom we are so close, the people who know us so well, can bring up intense emotions.

Family dynamics are not always harmonious, particularly when people all live together in the same house can present a range of challenges for the whole family unit. It becomes more complicated when extended family becomes involved. Even if only two people are in conflict, the whole family can be affected. If more people are having relationship problems, the unit can unravel quickly.

While therapists take different approaches to dealing with family conflict, it is good to know that they share a common goal and that is to heal family conflicts through enabling better verbal and nonverbal communication, and dealing with individual issues.

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