Addictions - Including Substances, Adolescent Issues, Borderline Personality Disorder Counsellors

Addictions - Including Substances, Adolescent Issues, Borderline Personality 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.

Adolescent counselling aims to prevent and treat the many issues faced by adolescents. Parents face the responsibility of raising young adults who will shape the future in this world with more temptations, distractions and issues than ever before. Children inadvertently tend to take the blame for situations onto themselves and this can lead to a lot of stress and pressure for them.


Adolescent counselling typically works with adolescents between the ages of 12-18 years in a non-judgmental, safe and caring environment. Here, therapists can help young people to explore any issues they are facing in their relationships with friends, school, and family.

Most adolescents need guidance at one point or another in their lives and adolescent counselling is the perfect medium, especially when your child's behavior has changed. A teenager who has suddenly become withdrawn, stressed, depressed or moody could use someone to talk to. Sometimes teenagers turn to drugs, food, self-harm, bullying, or sex as an outlet for their stress.

If you are concerned that your child seems to be concerned about issues at school, cyber bullying, sexual experimentation, or if he or she has been getting into trouble at school, or if you think he or she might be taking drugs, counselling may be beneficial.

Therapists engage a range of methods to deal with the issues teenagers face. From art and music therapy to cognitive behavioural therapy, there is a type of adolescent counselling that will likely be of benefit.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist with specialized training in adolescent counselling you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

 

Borderline personality disorder, like all other personality disorders is a learned behavior pattern that is deeply ingrained and ongoing. It manifests as an inappropriate deviation from social norms and it is a stable behavioural pattern. Social performance is impeded by the subjective distress the person tends to experience.

People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) may to alternate between the extremes of devaluation and idealization, and form unstable but intense relationships. They may make frantic attempts to avoid imagined or real abandonment. There are two types of borderline personality disorders; the impulsive BPD is prone to emotional instability and poor impulse control.

Borderline personality disorder sufferers may tend to act impulsively, without paying attention to the consequences and they have a tendency to experience emotional outbursts and be quarrelsome.

Therapy can be beneficial for people with borderline personality disorder and there are some powerful approaches developed recently that bring great hope to those who would be diagnosed with this disorder. Unlike most family members and friends, a psychologist or counsellor has the appropriate training, as well as patience, to withstand the emotional crises the patient will experience over the course of the relationship. These episodes can cause tremendous damage to a person's interpersonal relationships, but a therapist has the skills to remain even tempered and optimistic and knows how to teach better coping skills. It is important to help the person with borderline personality disorder to develop helpful communication skills as well as the capacity to self-regulate emotions.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers therapy to address your borderline personality disorder issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

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

Nina Hopmeier

M.Couns., RCC
    • Video on profile
Have you been feeling overwhelmed lately by your emotions and life’s demands? Do you sometimes feel like you have exhausted your coping resources and are stuck with where you are? It’s so easy to let these... Read more