Death and Dying, Adoption Issues, Cancer Care and Support Mindfulness approaches

Death and Dying, Adoption Issues, Cancer Care and Support

Death and dying are common issues faced by people who seek counselling. When a loved one passes away,  dormant feelings of rejection, separation and abandonment in a person's life history tend to resurface. Every client has a different reaction to death and dying, a topic that has been a taboo in many cultures.

Many people are ill-equipped to deal with death and dying, and the process of adjustment that naturally has to follow such an event. During the grieving process, a person tends to react emotionally, but their character usually doesn't change. They are bound to review their relationship with the deceased individual, and express the unfairness of the death. The grieving person might seek out other people to replace the deceased, while at the same time revising their current relationships and personal identity.

The mourning process consists of a number of stages, that most people experience. The stages usually occur consecutively, but it's natural to experience them in a different order, to experience more than one at a time, or to skip a stage altogether. Some people have reported regressing to a previous stage, and moving back and forth between stages.

Unresolved grief can lead to psychopathology. It takes a strong person to seek help and therapy can help you realize that mourning is a natural process that allows you to explore life after the loss of a loved one. It will help you to find new coping mechanisms and help you to move forward with a life that does not include him or her.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with clients who are grieving the loss of someone, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

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.

Cancer care and support is essential after receiving a diagnosis. Someone who has just received a devastating diagnosis is bound to experience strong emotions and they may or may not be open to talking to friends or family. This can affect interpersonal relationships, as everyone around might feel afraid, directionless, numb and shocked.  A person who has been diagnosed with cancer can find inner strength to face the road ahead by speaking to a counsellor who has experience with cancer.

People with cancer often try to be strong for their loved ones, despite the fear they themselves face. At the same time, relatives tend to be afraid of expressing their own thoughts and feelings. The load can be minimized for both the cancer patient and his or her family by speaking to a psychologist.

The general consensus is that a positive attitude is essential for fighting cancer, and while that is a great tool, it can do more harm than good. It implies that people who lose the battle against cancer were negative. Unfortunately, the positive attitude analogy leaves no room for exploring anxiety and fear, or the grief commonly associated with a diagnosis.

A psychologist or counsellor who is knowledgeable about cancer care and support is the partner of choice for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, as well as for their friends and family. The therapist will help people to understand the impacts of a cancer diagnosis and the treatments. A psychologist will ensure that you have all the emotional tools required to handle the challenges on the road to recovery.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers cancer care and support therapy to address your emotional issues related to cancer, 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.

Mary Gillis

M.A., RCC
**** Please note that I have a short waitlist for new clients, and have limited availability for in person sessions.  Mary Gillis is a registered clinical counsellor who is meeting with her... Read more