Therapy corner

Perhaps you're down or anxious - maybe you're unsure about the future of a relationship, or just feel that you aren't living the life you were meant to lead. Whatever your needs may be, I am here to offer support. Therapy is a process of growth and self-discovery, and in my sessions I promote behavioural transformation by encouraging a positive outlook and the adoption of new attitudes and reactions. I have the tools and professional experience to help you get back on track. I implement effective psychotherapy methods to instil self-understanding among patients It is essential to keep in mind that therapy is not a magic pill or a quick fix: therapy is a healing process that necessitates participation and investment from the patient and caretaker alike.

You may come across with various behavioural problems in your life that causes disruption for your smooth daily activities and causes strains in your relationships. We may go through a few of them. This is just to make an awareness about it. For a few of them assessment forms are also included below. Just going through those assessment forms will make you more insightful regarding your own problem. Just taking a break and analysing ones of the life problems itself will help you to find yourself to find solutions for your problems. The therapist simply helps you to analyse your life events and helps you for the behavioural change.

BEWARE THAT THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS FOR THERAPY. ONE NEED TO BE COMMITTED AND DO ALL THE ACTIVITIES SUGGESTED BY THE THERAPIST. HEALING TAKES PLACE IN A STEP BY STEP PROCESS. DONT BE IN A HURRY. PATIENCE IS NEEDED. DONT EXPECT WONDERS TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

Substance Use Disorder

Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behaviour and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered as drugs.

A person's genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress can all be factors. Many who develop a substance use problem have depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or another mental problem.

Symptoms of drug addiction behaviours include, feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day. Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts. Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same high. It is a treatable disorder. It is a myth that drug addiction happens because of the lack of mental strength of the individual. Not all who use drugs become addicted to it. This shows the brain-behaviour connection for addiction. Addiction is generally the result of a compulsive nature – where someone feels compelled to do a particular action.

Click the link to see the substance use disorder assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Substance Use Disorder assessment form : https://form.jotform.com/210714103866046

Behavioural addiction

Apart from substance use addiction like alcohol and nicotine addiction, we had another sort of addiction-behavioural addiction. Some of the normal types of behaviour may turn into an addictive pattern. It ranges from addiction towards gambling, sex, food, exercise, internet etc. The essential feature of behavioural addictions is the failure to resist an impulse, drive, or temptation to perform an act that is harmful to the person or to others. In some cases withdrawal symptoms may also appear from abstinence. It is found that the brain reward system works in the same fashion as it is for substance use. But the pathological effects differ from substance use. Psycho therapy is found to be highly beneficial for this.

Click the link to see the Behavioural addiction assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Behavioural addiction assessment form : https://form.jotform.com/210690835593462

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that causes repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations (obsessions) and the urge to do something over and over again (compulsions). Some people can have both obsessions and compulsions. It is different from habits like nail biting. The repetitive behaviours (compulsions) such as hand washing, checking on things or cleaning, can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities, family and social interactions.

Generally OCD is centred around the following. They are A) contamination. B) Perfection. C) doubt D) forbidden thoughts.

Some of the symptoms related to OCD are

Fear of contamination or dirt, frequent checking to clear doubt such as the lock, Excessive stress on order and symmetry, thoughts about losing control and harming oneself, Unwanted thoughts like aggression, sexual or religious matters etc.

Click the link to see the Obsessive-Compulsive disorder assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder assessment form : https://form.jotform.com/210770782433051

Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is a mental health problem that primarily affects a person’s emotional state. It is a disorder in which a person experiences long periods of extreme happiness, extreme sadness, or both. Two of the most common mood disorders are depression and bipolar disorder. It may also happen due to medication or substance use. Th general emotional state or mood of a person with mood disorder will be inconsistent with his circumstances and interferes with his effective functioning. Anxiety disorders may also lead to mood disorders. Sometimes it affects ones appetite and sleep too which may result in physiological and psychological problems too. Mood swings without particular changes in the circumstances may be observed in persons with mood disorders. In some cases medication may be needed or it may be supplemented with psychotherapy.

Click the link to see the Mood disorder assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Mood disorder assessment form : https://form.jotform.com/210764799915067

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a normal emotion which is a reaction to stress and alerts us about the danger ahead. One may feel anxious when faced with a problem. But anxiety disorders are different. They create constant overwhelming fear and anxiety which causes disruption in your daily activities.

Types of anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorders, panic disorders, social anxiety disorders, various types of phobias, separation anxiety etc. Anxiety disorders can be alleviated through body relaxation, various breathing techniques and through various means of therapy techniques. It is a fact that anxiety is a part of almost all sorts of behavioural issues and so relaxation techniques are taught to clients as a first step in therapy. Only a calm relaxed mind can comprehend and perceive things in the proper manner for which relaxation is essential.

Click the link to see the Anxiety disorder assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Assessment of Anxiety Disorders : https://form.jotform.com/210791265301044

Phobia

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to experience extreme, irrational fear about a situation, living creature, place, or object. Unlike general anxiety disorders, a phobia is usually connected to something specific.

An individual may develop irrational fear towards many things such as

acrophobia, fear of heights.

aerophobia, fear of flying.

arachnophobia, fear of spiders.

astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning.

autophobia, fear of being alone.

claustrophobia, fear of confined or crowded spaces.

hemophobia, fear of blood.

hydrophobia, fear of water. etc.

Generally psychotherapy using exposure therapy is successful in treating specific phobias. cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness have been found to be very effective for treating phobias. Systematic desensitisation procedure is also a commonly used procedure to treat it.

Click the link to see the Phobia assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Social Phobia Assessment Form : https://form.jotform.com/210790922958061

Relationship Management Issues

Relationship management issues are a common problem that we face in our everyday life. As a social animal it is extremely important to maintain a cordial relationship with the people around us. We had different types of interpersonal relationships such as intimate close relationships, social relationship, acquaintanceship etc. This include relationship with family members, friends, authority figures, neighbours, people we meet on the street etc. Every types of relationships had its own social, cultural, personal norms that we keep to maintain a proper relationship. Lack of interpersonal skills may lead to a disrupted relationship with others. This includes lack of proper communication skills, heightened emotionality, lack of empathy, adjustment problems, psychological disturbances etc. The relationship management had its spill over effect in another relationships. The spill over effect is more common in relationship management issues than in any other forms of disturbances. For example, the relationship management problems at home had its impact at workplace and vice versa. We are taught many skills at school except this interpersonal relationship management skills ( it is the case in many parts of the world). This most important skill is almost neglected and we assume that individuals may learn it through his own life experiences. But its cost is too much. People face problems at home, school, workplace etc. and it had a negative impact on the psychological and physiological well-being of millions of people. Nowadays it is considered as a most needed skill in management and business and they spend a huge amount on training for the acquisition of these skills. Profit matters. But the common man is left to his fate.

Click the link to see the Relationship Management assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Relationship Management assessment form : https://form.jotform.com/210745155386054

Emotional dysregulation

Emotional dysregulation is the inability of a person to control or regulate their emotional responses to provocative stimuli.

It may be associated with an experience of early psychological trauma, brain injury, or chronic maltreatment (such as child abuse, child neglect, or institutional neglect/abuse). It results in a poor ability to manage emotional responses or to keep them within an acceptable range of typical emotional reactions. This can refer to a wide range of emotions including sadness, anger, irritability, and frustration. Emotional dysregulation can lead to problems with interpersonal relationships, trouble with school performance, and the inability to function effectively in a job etc.

Through various behavioural intervention programs one can learn to manage ones emotional dysregulation. If it is not handled properly, there are chances for physiological problems. Emotional dysregulation is found to be an added factor that leads to problems in our body.

Click the link to see the Emotional dysregulation assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.

Anger Management

According to Aristotle "To get angry is easy. Anyone can get angry. But to get angry at the right time, for the right purpose, towards the right person, for the right reason that too with a right intensity is not that easy". It indicates that getting angry is ok, but we should take care of the other aspects. In those aspects many of them fail. Here is the area where one may need guidance. Anger may turn into aggression-verbal and even physical which causes a lot of damage. So both inappropriate anger and aggressive behaviour need to be tackled. Relationship issues may arise if it is not properly handled. Its negative impact on family, workplace and social relationships is obvious. Learning anger and aggression management skills would be a great help for those who struggle with it.

Click the link to see the Anger/Aggression assessment form. It may help you to analyse your own behaviour which is the first step for your recovery and the opportunity for the therapist to know more about your current behaviour pattern.