Online Counselling, Psychotherapy and Imago Relationship Therapy
Anxiety - What's worrying you?
Anxiety, can affect anyone, regardless of your age, gender, or background. It can range from mild discomfort, which doesn't necessarily disrupt your daily life, to feeling debilitated and unable to live your life in the present, since you may often be worrying about the future or the past. A constant state of worry, is an unpleasant place to be, but there is hope, it may take some work, but you can overcome this and counselling can help.
As part of our initial meeting, I use a simple questionnaire to support my understanding of your experience of anxiety; i.e. mild, moderate or severe. The questionnaire does not replace your voice, your lived experiences. I use the information that you share, to plan how we can best work together.
The general trend for my clients' results, is downwards, a spike in results, usually matches accurately, something that is happening in their lives, or the point that we have reached in our work, i.e. getting in touch with formerly unexpressed emotions. I don't use the results to label you, I simple find the scores to be useful markers, that can change.
Some common signs of anxiety are:
- An inability to relax, perhaps feeling tense and pressured instead.
- Finding it difficult to control how much you worry and what you worry about.
- Physical symptoms such as panic attacks, heachaches or disturbed sleep.
I use a mix of approaches when working with clients who are struggling with anxiety, one of the first things that we do is breathe... Mindful breathing has a way of helping us to feel relaxed and grounded, and it is an easy thing to practice at home or when needed. Feeling grounded, I have found, makes it easier to be in the here and now, and easier to think. From the place of being grounded, we can begin to explore the underlying causes of your anxiety.
If you are struggling with anxiety and you would like to explore working together, please get in touch.
Depression - What's getting you down?
How do you respond, when someone asks how you are? Faced with that question, I have often heard that the only choice is to lie, in other words, to say 'I'm fine.'
As a therapist, my training enables me to welcome and connect with the real you, so, I welcome your truth.
Perhaps, you are someone who feels that you have to lie, because no one wants to know that you're feeling sad, or that you still feel sad, despite all the support that they have given. Sometimes, our friends and family can feel helpless when faced with our pain, or need for support.
This can lead to strained relationships, and feelings of guilt, but this doesn't define you, or what you need, as a problem. It doesn't necessarily make your friends and family into selfish people. It may simply be an indicator that it's time to look beyond your social circle, for more specific forms of help, ideally, where you wont be expected to provide support.
Anybody can suffer from feeling a bit “down” following a sad event or when things just haven’t gone to plan. However, if you suffer from depression, you are likely to experience feelings of sadness for much longer, maybe for some weeks or even months.
Some people believe that depression is not really an “illness” and that sufferers should just “pull themselves together”. From experience, I know that depression is a real condition, and that it can have a very serious impact on your an individual's life. Fortunately, all in NOT lost. Depression can be treated, and psychotherapy is one of many effective approaches.
Depression and Depressive Disorders can affect people in a wide variety of ways, ranging from feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and a loss of interest in things you used to enjoy (including a loss of interest in sex), through to much more significant problems such as total withdrawal from society and suicidal thoughts. Depression can also lead to physical symptoms too, for example persistent tiredness, an inability to sleep, and various aches and pains.
Clinical Depression
When Clinical depression occurs it is indicated by symptoms that last nearly all day long for two weeks or more. These symptoms will either be a generally depressed mood or a lowering of interest in being active.
In order to be “classified” as Clinical Depression we would normally expect there to be about four, or more, of the following additional symptoms to be present:
- Weight Loss or Weight Gain
- A loss or an increase in appetite
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping for longer
- Fatigue
- Loss of Energy
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Feeling of Guilt
- Thoughts or plans of Suicide
- Speech or Movement may become slowed down
- Loss or Increase of appetite
- Constipation
- Aches and Pains with no apparent physical reason
- Lack of Energy
- Loss of interest in sex
- Sudden changes to the Menstrual Cycle
- Radical shifts in sleeping patterns, both sleeping longer and not needing sleep
- Underperforming at work
- Reducing your Social Interaction
- Problems in your home life
It is not always easy to recognise that you may be depressed, and it often surfaces quite slowly, and over a protracted period of time. During this time the slow adaptation to these new feelings can mean that it often takes a friend or family to notice the changes.
Although grief and depression share some of the same symptoms they are not the same. Grief, for example due to the loss of a loved one, is a normal response to that loss. When a person has the space to grieve, the pain of the loss, usually eases with time. On the other hand, depression is a mental illness, which can be triggered by any experience, including loss. Unlike typical grief, the intensity of depression can remain the same or increase with time.
Some women are particularly vulnerable to depression during and after pregnancy. The hormonal and physical changes that a woman experiences during pregnancy, can cause existing problems to feel worse. Alternatively, new issues can arise, such as excessive sickness of hyperemesis gravidarum or gestational diabetes. Coupled with the added responsibility of a new life, these emotional and physical changes, can lead to prenatal and postnatal depression, and the bonding between a mother and baby may be disrupted. Fathers can also experience depression following the birth of their child. The myths around motherhood or fatherhood, can lead a depressed parent to feel guilt or shame. However, depression doesn't mean that you are a bad parent, it's an indication that you could use some support and your G.P. is a good place to start.
Tips for Coping with Depression
Socialising might be the last thing that you want to do if you're feeling depressed. However, it could improve your mood and keeping in touch with friends and family means you have someone to talk to or confide in when you feel low. In the early hours of the morning, when things might feel particularly bleak, a good friend will gladly lose sleep to listen to you. Staying in touch, can help you to see that you're loved.
Exercise, no matter how gentle, can be the last thing on your mind if you're feeling depressed. However movement, fresh air, and sunlight are all recommended 'antidotes' as they have been shown to have positive effects on our mood. If you haven't exercised for a while, start gently, for example, try walking for 20 minutes every day and build up from there.
When feeling down, it can be easy to develop unhelpful habits such as: staying up late and sleeping during the day, skipping meals or binge eating. Try to develop a routine that supports your well-being, even if you don't feel like it at the moment.
If you feel able, be kind to yourself, and do something that will nurture your mind, body and spirit. This could be as simple as sitting in the garden in the sunshine, adding a few drops of your favourite essential oils to a warm bath, or listening to a favourite song. It can also include exploring your diet, as there is sometimes a link between the foods that we do or don't eat, and the emotions that we experience.
It is OK to ask for help, you don't have to suffer alone.
If possible, share what you're going through, with people you trust, who can be there for you.
Your GP is a good source of help, as they will be able to suggest possible ways to manage, i.e in some cases, medication may help with your recovery, or they may refer you to an appropriate service.
Talking therapy: counselling and psychotherapy, can also be beneficial, enabling you to develop strategies for everyday life, whilst discovering the underlying reason(s) for your depression.
If you are feeling down and you would like things to change, please reach out, I'll be happy to explore the way forward with you.
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Privacy Policy
In accordance with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), this privacy policy explains how I will handle the personal data that you share with me, as a client, perspective client or visitor to my website. It also describes your rights, under the new GDPR. For the purpose of data protection, the data controller is Karen Morris.
By visiting my website, you are accepting and consenting to this privacy policy.
WHY MIGHT I COLLECT YOUR DATA?
My purpose for collecting data, is primarily to fulfil our therapeutic contract.
I may also collect data on website visits, as I have a legitimate interest in the improvement of my website and marketing.
WHAT INFORMATION IS HELD?
Initially, you may provide your name, telephone and email address, when you first contact me. Additionally, I may receive information by other means, such as SearchMax, and Google Analytics which gather information through the use of cookies. SeacrhMax is much less detailed than Google analytics, and provides general information of visits per day and the pages visited.
Google Analytics may collect the following type of information, each time you visit this site:
- Browser type and browser version
- Operating system used
- Referrer URL
- Host name of the accessing computer
- Time of the server request
- IP address
Google Analytics will also provide information about your use of the site, for instance, the date, time and duration of your visit, including the pages visited and time spent on each page.
You can gain further information about Google Analytics, here
You can find details about an opt-out from Google Analytics, here
If you would prefer not to allow any cookies from my website, you can set your browser so that it blocks them.
HOW WILL I USE YOUR INFORMATION?
To provide you with the services required to fulfil our therapeutic contract.
To communicate with you about any changes to my service.
For technical and administrative purposes related to operating my site and business, in an appropriate manner, i.e. trouble shooting, data analysis, or record keeping.
WILL I SHARE YOUR INFORMATION?
I will never sell your information, and will only ever disclose anything about you, when I am required, on ethical or legal grounds. For instance, if a child or you are at risk, or if you disclose details of money laundering or terrorism,
STORAGE OF YOUR INFORMATION
If you send an enquiry via email, text or contact form, I will store your information for a short while, after sending my response. The information that I hold, will be your email address and the details that you shared in your correspondence.
If we begin to work together, I will store electronic communication only for as long as it is necessary. Emails and contact forms will be stored on a password protected laptop. Text messages will be stored on a phone that is protected by password and fingerprint lock.
ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION
It is your right to request access to personal information that I hold about you.
You may also request that I amend any personal information that I hold that you feel is inaccurate or out of date.
You may also request that I delete the personal information that I hold about you. Except where I am permitted, for business purposes, i.e. financial or professional auditing, or required for legal reasons, I will endeavour to comply with your request.
This privacy statement applies to use of this website, and is subject to change, inline with current regulations. It is advisable to check this privacy statement on a regular basis, to ensure that you still agree with its terms.
If you have any questions about this policy, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Karen Morris
Data Protection Officer
Data Protection Registration reference: ZA344599