Psychoeducation can be a powerful tool for therapists to help their clients better understand their mental health condition, learn effective strategies for managing their symptoms, and take control of their mental health. So what pointers can be useful when we think about providing our clients with psychoeducation?
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If you are a therapist or coach of any persuasion; counsellor, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, life coach, bodyworker, in fact anyone who works in the helping professions, you will glean valuable, actionable ideas, tips and techniques from Clear Thinking, my free therapy techniques newsletter.
In it you'll find a wide range of topics including solution focused therapy approaches, cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques, ideas from DBT, hypnotherapy, counselling and even the occasional philosophical piece. I've been treating people with psychotherapy for more than 30 years and I've drawn what I find useful from many fields. I hope you find it helps you in your practice too, whatever flavour of helper you are.
How to Help Your Therapy Clients with Their Spiritual Questions
Where did we come from, where are we going, and what is behind it all? Many of us have at some time wrestled with or just wondered about the bigger questions of life. And research suggests that addressing such spiritual concerns may help mental health. So how might we as practitioners aid our clients in […]
Philosophy Piece: Why Are Our Children So Depressed?
It’s so poignant when we hear of children who feel life isn’t worth living, who feel doomed to lives of misery or even feel like killing themselves. And if childhood suicide rates and admissions to hospital for self-harm are anything to go by, childhood depression is trending upwards. So why might childhood depression be on […]
One Guiding Principle for Family Therapy
Family therapy is an effective treatment for a wide range of mental health and relationship problems. It can help families improve their communication skills, manage conflict, and cope with life transitions. And because families are systems, small changes can create large effects. Here I want to explore the one principle that governs so much of […]
What is the Inner Child?
Building a whole ideology around one metaphor can make therapists less flexible and fluid than they otherwise could be. But that’s not to say that some metaphors aren’t widespread in their appeal, even universal. So when might the inner child metaphor be useful, and how can it be used?
Why It’s Important to Help Your Clients Name Their Feelings
“How does that make you feel?” is a clichéd therapy question that sort of sticks in my throat. It makes me feel… yucky. And yet it’s something I need to get over. Because when we face what is inside, recognize and name it, we become stronger and less afraid. By helping our clients recognize and […]
3 Reasons Clients Stay in Abusive Relationships
It can seem baffling, infuriating even, when an abused partner stays with an abuser, even more so when they go back to them after having left. But often it is every bit as baffling and infuriating for the person being abused. So why do people stay in these relationships, and how can we help the […]
Philosophy Piece: 5 Psychological Strategies to Control Catastrophic Impulsivity
With the demise of religion and an increasing sense that “now is all there is”, some people have bought into the idea that personal pleasure and shortcuts to fragile and fleeting happiness are really all that matter. But we all become more efficient, effective, and happy when we master or at least gain more control […]
7 Steps to Lead Your Client Out of Despair
Despairing clients often despair of everything, even of what they love. But with time, patience, and support, clients can overcome even the most difficult challenges and live fulfilling, meaningful lives. Here are some strategies I have used to help clients find the light again. I hope they prove useful to you when faced with a […]
How to Aid Client Self-Compassion
Our relationship with ourselves is a lifelong relationship, and it needs to be committed and steady. When we value, respect, and are patiently well disposed to ourselves, we avoid the dizzy heights of self-adulation but also the lacerating self-despisement of the low self-esteemer. Here I suggest five ways to enhance your clients’ self-compassion and self-acceptance.
