Depression is the most common psychological condition, and most people experience it at one point or another in their lives.

Symptoms of depression include lethargy, low self esteem, a feeling of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, dysphoric mood and even suicidal thoughts. People who are depressed usually feel a lack of energy and a lack of pleasure and they may be agitated or irritable.

Since there are so many causes to depression, which boils down to a natural response to life experiences (a defence mechanism), each situation warrants a thorough investigation into the exact catalyst. Depending on what causes a specific incidence of depression, a treatment plan can be developed to help the individual deal with his or her emotions.

Some people are predisposed to depression in that it can run in the family. In many cases, it is learned when someone is constantly exposed to it.

Counselling can help a person to adapt to life changes that are causing grief, particularly with bereavement or marital issues. Systemic therapy is helpful in family therapy, where the efforts of the whole family can help the individual. Psychodynamic therapy helps a person to find the hidden psychological defences that cause problems to manifest. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the problem at hand, providing solutions to day-to-day issues and finding ways to restructure negative thought patterns.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who has training and experience in depression counselling you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

While stress is a normal part of our modern, everyday lives, it can also have dramatic side effects. Chronic stress can lead to behavioral issues, such as drug abuse that can harm relationships. However, most commonly, chronic stress can affect a person's physical health in a number of ways. Many people avoid asking for help in coping with stress management, accepting it as a common hazard of today's fast-paced life.

Yes, at some point everyone suffers from challenges with stress management, but if at any point in time you feel like you have trouble handling it, it is time to get help. Signs that you are not coping with stress management includes a change in your sleeping or eating habits, feeling physically unwell (headaches, ulcers, frequent colds and flu), reduced productivity and decreased pleasure in activities you enjoyed before.

Stress is common when dealing with life changes or situations such as job losses, getting married, breakups or divorces, discrimination, parenting, moving house, death of a pet or loved one, being diagnosed with a serious medical condition.  

Therapy can help you to better deal with stress management issues. Negative moods reduce the quality of several aspects of our lives, including productivity and interpersonal relationships. Through cognitive restructuring, negative thoughts can be challenged and rescripted to help you create a more positive mindset.

Stress can often cloud the validity of our interpretations of certain events and circumstances, and cognitive restructuring challenges those assumptions. In the case of invalid interpretations, the way we think about situations naturally changes, which has a positive effect on our moods and ability to handle stress better.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who will help you manage stress more effectively you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Vocational assessments can help you learn a lot about yourself and your career choices. People who have been successful in their careers, but lack the sense of fulfillment use the results on their psychometric tests as an indicator to implement changes necessary to become happy in their fields. One sign of a lack of fulfillment is when someone has had several jobs, but has not yet found their feet in a specific niche.

If you are looking for a career transition, or if you are a school leaver who wants to start out on the right track, vocational assessments can help you make the right decisions. Mothers who want to re-enter the workforce after taking a break to raise children, might find that their priorities have changed, and that they might flourish in a new field.

No matter where you find yourself, a psychologist or counsellor with training in psycho-diagnostic counselling, vocational assessment and career guidance can help you make the right decisions. He or she will use psycho-diagnostic tools and assessments to test your intellectual abilities, aptitude, personality profiling and emotional functioning to help you find the best career in which you can succeed and be fulfilled.

Vocational assessments can be done for people of different ages, as counsellors can use specific tests to assess school readiness, scholastic ability, sensorimotor ability and personality profiling for young children too. Career guidance for adolescents can help them choose the best subjects to fulfill their career goals, while vocational guidance can help them choose the right careers from the start.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who does vocational assessments and counselling, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.