Posts Tagged ‘OCD’
Identity: I Am Me
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Bullying, Counselling, Endings, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, Online, Resolutions, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Stress, Supervision, Support, Training, Work-Life Balance, tagged Anxiety, attitude, BSc, Bullying, CBT, Challenge, Change, Consequences, Counselling, Creative, Creativity, Depression, Differences, Different, Emotions, Exclusion, Face-to-Face, Fear, help, Human, I, Identity, Individual, Insecurity, Irrational, Isolation, MBACP, MBPsS, ME, Mental health, Movement, MSc, OCD, Online, Other, Person, Personality, relationship, Risk, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, Self, Self-esteem, SFBT, Supervision, Support, Training, trust, Uncertainty, Understanding, Work, Work-Life Balance on July 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »
“I Am Me and I Accept Myself As I Am.” (Roxana Rudzik-Shaw)
This article aims to explore Identity… Who am I? What am I? How am I? We will explore what the most common aspects of identity are, such as the ‘Who’, ‘What’ and ‘How’, as well as considering misidentity and a sense of being expected to ‘fit in’. Our understanding of the notion ‘Identity’ refers to, but is not limited to biological, physiological, sociological, psychological and emotional elements of human beings. In a nutshell, over the next few weeks, I will present to you ideas, research, case studies, share my beliefs, values, and express opinions, to raise awareness, provide insights and facilitate a better understanding of you getting to know your own identity.
What is Identity?
Identity is a term that describes “A sense of continuity and sameness and of defining yourself on your own terms” (Nelson-Jones, 1986). Put simply, this suggests that YOU define who you are. However, identity is much more complex because there are a vast amount of internal and external factors at play which may influence who we are or who we become. I will briefly outline these aspects in the following sections: Who Am I? What Am I? How Am I?
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO)
RRS Counselling Services
www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
© RRS Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved.
Body Image
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Bullying, Counselling, Endings, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, New Year, Online, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Stress, Supervision, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work-Life Balance, tagged Anxiety, attitude, Body, Bullying, Celebrity, Change, Consequences, Counselling, Depression, Fashion, Fear, Food, help, Identity, Image, Irrational, Isolation, MBPsS, Mental health, Model, OCD, Online, Personality, Retail, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, Rumination, Self-esteem, SFBT, Supervision, trust, Understanding, Weight, Work-Life Balance, Worry on May 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »
What is Body Image? What are the most common factors that determine Body Image? What are the consequences of Negative Body Image? And how can counselling help me?
Definition of Body Image:
“Body Image is your Self Perceived image of your outward appearance, visible to others.” (Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, 2012)
The most common factors that determine Body Image:
- Family and Friends
- Peer Pressure
- Drawing comparisons with others
- Popular Culture (e.g. music videos, glossy mags)
- TV Advertisements
- Unrealistic goals
- Focus on results (e.g. weight loss)
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO)
RRS Counselling Services
www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
© RRS Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved.
Perfectionism
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Bullying, Counselling, Endings, Exam Stress, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, OCD, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Stress, Supervision, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work-Life Balance, tagged Anxiety, attitude, Belief, Change, Counselling, Depression, Development, Expectations, Focus, Goals, Irrational, Mental health, Mistrust, OCD, Outcome, Over Thinking, Perfect, Perfectionism, Personality, Realistic, Restless, Results, Risk, Rumination, Self-esteem, Stress, Support, Training, Traits, trust, Uncertainty, Understanding, Work on May 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »
How realistic is the strive for perfection?
What is Perfectionism? What are the most common signs? What are the consequences? And how can counselling help me?
Definition of Perfectionism:
“A perfectionist is someone with very high expectations of self who often strives to be perfect. Being a perfectionist can lead to having a good work ethic. However, some issues may include dissatisfaction, inability to meet high expectations, and risk of mental health issues such as depression.” (Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, 2012)
The most common signs of Perfectionism:
- Drawing comparisons with others
- Setting high expectations
- Unrealistic goals
- Focus on results
- Can be difficult to engage
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc, BSc, MBACP, MBPsS)
RRS Counselling Services
http://www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
RRS Counselling Services © 2012. All Rights Reserved.
OCD
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Counselling, Help, Mental Health, New Year, OCD, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Stress, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work-Life Balance, tagged Anxiety, Aversion Technique, Bipolar, CBT, Challenge, Change, Cognition, Collector, Compulsion, Counselling, Death, Disorder, Elation, Fear, Forgetting, help, Hoarder, Hoarding, Intrusive Thoughts, Irrational, Mental health, Mindfull, Obsession, OCD, Panic Attack, Phobia, Psychosis, Risk, Rituals, Ruminating, SFBT, Stress, Support, Training on April 2, 2012| 3 Comments »
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterised by two main elements, namely obsession and compulsion. To the individual with OCD, the compulsion is often a thought, belief or behaviour (ritual) that occurs as a direct result of their obsession.
What is OCD? Cases of OCD? What are the most common signs? What are the consequences of OCD? And how can counselling help me?
If you would like to learn more about OCD, then read on.
Definitions of OCD:
Obsessive compulsive disorder is characterised by “…unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviours (compulsions)” (Mayo Clinic, 2010).
Cases of OCD:
- The most common types of obsessions –> compulsions include:-
RRS Counselling Services © 2012. All Rights Reserved.
Loneliness
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Counselling, Endings, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, Online, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Supervision, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work-Life Balance, tagged ACTO, Alone, Anxiety, attitude, BSc, Bullying, CBT, Challenge, Change, Communication, Consequences, Counselling, Creativity, Debt, Depression, Discrimination, Emotion, Exclusion, Face-to-Face, Family, Fear, Fianance, help, Homeless, Identity, Individual Differences, Insecurity, Insight, Isolation, Loss, MBACP, MBPsS, Mental health, Mood, Movement, MSc, OCD, Online, Personality, relationship, Risk, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Rumination, School, Self-esteem, Social Exclusion, Stress, Supervision, Support, Talking, Training, trust, Uncertainty, Understanding, Work, Work-Life Balance, Worry on December 22, 2011| 1 Comment »
We have all experienced feelings associated with loneliness at some time in our lives.
Loneliness can be very difficult to come to terms with even as a short-term experience. However, if loneliness is prolonged it can be associated with the onset of numerous mental health issues, particularly in individuals whom were once considered social, out-going or people-focussed.
What is loneliness? What are the most common causes of loneliness? What are the consequences? And how may counselling help me?
If you would like to know some of the answers to these questions, then read on.
Definition of Loneliness:
“Loneliness is a subjective experience often characterised by a sense of emptiness and solitude” (Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, 2011).
Common causes of Loneliness:
- Individual differences
- Introvert personality
- Shyness
- Fear
- Social phobia
- Insecure
- Lack of trust in others
- Inability to form meaningful in-person relationships
- Divorce
- Separation
- Single parent
- Lack of socialisation experience
- Victim of crime
- Bullying
- Prejudice & discrimination
- Feeling unwelcome
- Social exclusion
- Health-related issues
- Mobility issues
- Disability
- Lone working
- Carer
- Unemployment
Common consequences of Loneliness:
- Ruminating (e.g. over-thinking)
- Irrational thoughts and/or beliefs (e.g. Thinking that you’re going ‘mad’)
- Feeling detached from you environment and other people within it
- Suspicious of self and other people (e.g. Feeling ‘on edge’)
- Emptiness
- Empty nest syndrome
- Avoidance of people
- Low self-esteem
- Comfort eating or developing eating disorder (e.g. anorexia, binge-purge eating)
- Sleeping disorder
- Insomnia
- Anxiety or Panic disorder
- Addiction (e.g. alcohol, drugs)
- Over-reliance on self-medicating
- Decreased self-care and poor hygiene
- Homelessness
- Self-harm
- Depression
- Suicide ideation
How counselling may be able to help you?
RRS Counselling Services is able to offer you time and space to explore your experiences and feelings of loneliness. Sessions are available online and/or face-to-face within Greater Manchester.
I have worked with numerous clients in the workplace, and in independent practice for loneliness-related issues as detailed above.
I vividly remember working with a few male and female clients on self-esteem or anxiety issues with the goal being to work towards seeking and maintaining in-person relationships. These clients often felt worthless, anxious and very mistrustful of others. However, with the development of a good therapeutic rapport, clear goals set and weekly appointments that were often emotive, we were able to gain an in-depth understanding of the origins of loneliness during our therapeutic encounters. To understand the beginnings of loneliness was beneficial to making sense of client’s here-and-now, accepting the past and how this may have impacted on their present, as well as to highlight areas for personal development in order to begin working towards client’s goals.
Thanks for reading my post about ‘Loneliness’. I hope it has been useful to gaining a better understanding of the issue and how I may be able to help you through this. If you think this may be a useful read for others, please share this article.
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO)
RRS Counselling Services
www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
© RRS Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved.
Communication
Posted in Beginnings, Counselling, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, Online, Positive Vibes, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Supervision, Support, Training, Work-Life Balance, Workshops, tagged Active Listening, Anxiety, attitude, Attitudes, Behaviour, Belonging, Block, BSc, Bullying, Call, CBT, Challenge, Change, Chat, Collaborate, Colleagues, College, Communication, Community, Conduct, Consequences, Contribute, Counselling, Creativity, Debate, Deliberate, Depression, Discuss, Discussion, E-mail, Emotions, Exam, Examine, Exclusion, Face-to-Face, Family, Fear, Friendship, Greet, group, Heard, Hearing, help, Human, Identity, In-Person, Insecurity, Irrational, Listen, Listener, Management, Marriage, MBACP, MBPsS, Meet, Mental health, Message, Mindfulness, Movement, MSc, Network, OCD, OK to talk, Online, Open, Peer, peers, Perform, Performance, Personality, Phonological Loop, Psychology, Public Speaking, Rapport, Read, Recite, relationship, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Rumination, School, Self-esteem, Sense, Senses, SFBT, SMS, Social Media, Speak, Speaker, Supervision, Support, Talk, Team Building, Telephone, Text, Training, trust, Two-way, Uncertainty, Understand, Understanding, Understood, Wedding, Work, Work Relations, Work-Life Balance, Worry, Woskhops, Write on December 15, 2011| 6 Comments »
Communication is crucial to human relating within society.
What is communication? What are the key features of effective communication? What are some of the barriers to effective communication? Consequences of communication breakdown? How counselling may be able to help?
What is communication?
“Communication is the means through which we control our existence…Communication works through a two-way process by which messages are sent and understood between individuals or groups of people.” (British Institute for Learning Disabilities).
What are the key features of effective communication?
- Linguistics – what you verbally communicate
- Paralinguistics – how you communicate verbally
- Non-verbal communication
Barriers to effective communication:
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO)
RRS Counselling Services
www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
© RRS Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved.
Identity
Posted in Anxiety, Beginnings, Bullying, Counselling, Endings, Exam Stress, Face-to-Face, Help, Mental Health, New Year, OCD, Online, Resolutions, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Self-esteem, Stress, Supervision, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work-Life Balance, tagged attitude, BSc, Bullying, CBT, Challenge, Change, Consequences, Counselling, Debt, Depression, Exclusion, Fear, help, Identity, Insecurity, Irrational, Isolation, MBACP, MBPsS, Mental health, MSc, OCD, Online, Personality, Risk, Roxana Rudzik-Shaw, RRS Counselling Services, Rumination, Self-esteem, SFBT, Stress, Supervision, Support, Training, Uncertainty, Work, Work-Life Balance, Worry on November 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Identity… Who am I? What am I? How am I?
What is identity? Who am I? What are the most common characteristics/elements of identity? What about misidentity? And how can counselling help me?
If you would like to learn more about identity, then read on.
What is identity?
Identity is a term that describes “A sense of continuity and sameness and of defining yourself on your own terms” (Nelson-Jones, 1986).
Who am I?
Best wishes,
Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO)
RRS Counselling Services
www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
© RRS Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved.
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