Canada Telephone Counselling Confidential

Telephone Counselling: (Eastern Ontario, Canada)

There is an article about telephone counselling in Canada called Dialling Up Doctor (online at the National Post, by Rebecca Field Jager, that quotes me, Lucy MacDonald (Eastern Ontario, Canada) about how to make the most of counselling by phone. A well-written, balanced article on the pros, and cons, of phone counselling.

Here is the excerpt:

TALK THERAPY TIPS

Lucy MacDonald, a therapist in Eastern Ontario, offers a few suggestions for getting the most out of a telephone counselling session.

1. Choose a space at home or the office where you will not be interrupted. If possible, or necessary, let others know that you will be on the phone for the next hour and do not want to be disturbed.

2. Turn off call waiting and cellphones so there are no distractions or interruptions.

3. If you are a parent, wait until your children are in bed or at school before your scheduled phone session.

4. Have a "starting point" question or statement when approaching your first session. For example, "I am feeling angry most of the time and it is having a negative impact on my coworkers," or "My teenaged daughter has decided she is quitting school and we don't know what to do." 5. Have a pen and paper handy to make notes and write down any questions you might have.

Stress in the Workplace

Canadians are stressed! According to a study released by the Canadian Mental Health Association and Desjardins Financial Security, 83% of Canadians say they have gone to work while they were sick or exhausted and they've done on average six times within the last year.

The Conference Board of Canda shows that stressed workers are absent from work twice as often as those with little stress.

photo by Nina

The cost to the Canadian economy is in the billions - thirty billion to be exact. Participants in the study beleive that stress-related mental-health problems such as burnout, anxiety, and depression have increased over the years. Mental health claims, especially claims related to depression, are the fastest growing sector of work days lost due to diability.

According to the CMHA press release, "The silence surrounding mental health in the workplace is particularly alarming considering how prevalent the issue is at work. Approximately 43% of Canadians have had a colleague who has had a mental health issue and 34% have had a co-worker leave work for a period of time because of a mental health issue. Interestingly, 26% of those respondents noted that their colleague never came back to work."

This study was released as part of National Health Week (May 7 - 13).

Telehpone and Online Counselling

  Anonymity of the internet aids online counselling services By Carina Frey

Anonymity can sometimes lead to closer understanding between patient and practitioner in psychotherapy.

If the person being talked to is not visible, it is easier for the client to speak about terrible experiences or problems.

Therapists are now exploiting this in their work and providing counselling over the Internet.

'Psychotherapy is treatment for mental or emotional illnesses,' explains Fredi Lang of the Association of German Psychologists (BDP) in Berlin.

Counselling, however, is about providing advice on how to deal with problems. On the internet, the terms psychotherapy and counselling are often misunderstood to mean the same thing.

The BDP instituted a quality control system five years ago to aid clients seeking online counselling.

Meanwhile, about 20 websites have passed this test and now bear an insignia with the text 'Counselling by Psychologists'.

To obtain the award, the site's operators must have a diploma in psychology, inform their clients about the limits of online counselling and the necessity of encoding any correspondence by email.

However, this method of quality control is not sufficient, according to Ragnar Beer, psychologist at the University of Goettingen.

Beer says only sites operated by universities provide serious counselling. 'Non-verbal communication is missing online. That makes counselling or therapy very difficult,' says Beer.

Beer believes that is why the internet is unsuitable for classical forms of therapy.

However, a new approach to counselling has developed called interapy. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam developed this internet platform for treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

Interapy involves clients writing about their experiences on the basis of written instructions. Four-fifths of participants were free of symptoms after counselling.

One reason for interapy's success is the close nature of the relationship between the client and the therapist.

'We noticed that from the very beginning there was a very intense form of contact,' says Beer. This is due to the anonymity the internet provides.

'Clients can envisage their therapist according to their own ideal,' says Beer and the distance between client and practitioner makes it easier to discuss past experiences.

The psychologists behind the website Theratalk at the University of Goettingen have had a similar experience.

Theratalk went online in 1996 and provides online counselling for couples. Therapist and clients communicate in a secure chat room with a time lag.

'Patients often say they can speak freely because they can\'t see the therapist,' says Beer who heads Theratalk. That was particularly advantageous in dealing with sexual problems.

The psychologists pose questions in the chat rooms once a day. 'The patient had the whole day to think about what he or she wanted to say,' says Beer.

Their experience showed that counselling which took place in real time put pressure on clients. Another advantage of the chat room was that all questions and responses could be reread.

But online counselling has its limits. A patient\'s mental health must be in stabile condition and personality disorders cannot be treated online.

In addition clients who are experiencing a mental crisis should speak to a counsellor face to face.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Grief

What is grief?
It is the process by which we release something from our life. This is a healing process. We usually associate grief with the death of a loved person, but grief occurs to a lesser degree whenever there is an ending to any experience; for example, there might be a breakup of a relationship, a project which failed or which disappointed us, the retirement or firing from a job, the loss of a hope for a particular thing, the ending of a pleasant experience (e.g., a party or a picnic), or even the ending of an unpleasant experience (if we have become attached to an aspect of the experience).

The constructive aspects of grief.

• Grief allows us to release something which is no longer in our life. Thus, we can move on to the next stage, with its new opportunities. 
• Grief forces us to confront the fact that we will die someday. This awareness can add depth and meaning to our everyday existence, and it can compel us to evaluate our values so we are focused on significant activities in our short lifetime.

The destructive aspects of grief.

• Grief is painful. The pain occurs because we have lost something which was the recipient of our love. "Love" is our subjective experience of the flow of spiritual substance from one person to another person (i.e., one soul to another soul). When the recipient disappears, the flow has nowhere to go; therefore, we must shut off that flow (temporarily, until we find another recipient). The shutting-off of this precious flow causes the intense pain of grief (and of the related phenomenon of "heartbreak" in a relationship).
• We might fail to complete the grief process. Thus, we have unresolved emotions(e.g., the emotional energy of anger) which will linger within us, influencing us in our future life; for example, the unresolved anger will cast that anger into our general experience of life.

This is an excerpt, with minor changes, from James Harvey Stout's book, The Human Handbook. Used with permission.

Stress, Pregnancy, and Infertility

These links from Google News highlight some of the latest research on the impact of stress on women who are trying to get pregnant.

Stress could make women infertile
Cutting stress may increase chances of pregnancy

It's good to talk if you want to get pregnant, scientists say - how stress counselling can help women who are stressed and are having difficulty getting pregnant
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Can Help Some Women Become Fertile
Learning how to beat stress coul be the best fertility treatment
Counselling 'can boost fertility'

Stress and Burnout at Work

Are you experiencing stress and burnout at work? If so, you are not alone. According to the following article by United Press International,

"Most U.S. workers report feeling under great stress at work and a large majority complain of burnout.

A nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.com, released Wednesday, of more than 2,500 workers found 77 percent said they feel burnout and more than half said they work under a great deal of stress.

Workers most often blame colleagues for their office anxiety, with 16 percent citing difficult co-workers as their primary cause of stress at work.

Other top workplace stressors include unrealistic workload, tight deadlines, last-minute projects and difficult supervisors.

'High-pressure work environments are taking their toll on workers` morale,' said Rosemary Haefner, a CareerBuilder.com vice president.

'Twenty-three percent of workers say they frequently or constantly feel burnout at work. This can be detrimental to both workers, whose health and career progress may suffer, and employers, who pick up the tab in higher insurance costs and lost productivity.'"

Copyright 2006 by United Press International, CHICAGO, IL, United States (UPI)

Anger Management

Anger Management: Five Steps for Constructive Confrontations by Carol Sorgen.

Washington, D.C. therapist Mark Gorkin, LICSW, author of Practice Safe Stress: Healing and Laughing in the Face of Stress, Burnout & Depression, offers a five-step method for "constructive confrontation":

1. Use an "I" statement, question, or observation: "I'm concerned," "I'm confused," or "I'm frustrated" are good ways to begin your exchange.

2. Describe the problem specifically. Avoid judgmental accusations such as "You never get your work in on time." Instead, be specific: "I've asked you three times this week for the status of the systems report and I haven't received the report or any response. What's going on here?"

3. Explain why you're upset. Talk about effects and expectations. For example: "Because I didn't receive the report on time, I wasn't able to present it at the meeting and we had to postpone making a decision." That's the effect.

The expectation: "We really need the data. I want to meet tomorrow morning at 9 to discuss where you are with the project."

4. Acknowledge the other person and ask for input. Let the other person know you have some understanding of what he's going through. For example: "I know you're working on several important projects. Tell me what's on your plate. Then we'll need to set priorities and upgrade the importance of this project."

5. Listen and let go. Once you've engaged in the first four steps, you can be more objective and can let go of any existing anger, hurt feelings, or questionable assumptions.

Getting Over Anger: Individual counselling to help you manage your anger.

Online Therapy

The Globe and Mail published an article called Online Therapy: The faceless cure?  written by Sharon Crawford. The article discusses the pros and cons of using email and chat as a counseling medium. She created a create list of wise things to do when considering online counselling.

List of things to consider when looking for e-help (by Sharon Crawford).

1. Research different therapists on-line. Make sure they have specific training doing on-line therapy.
2. Send an e-mail message to see if they are experienced with your problem or similar problems.
3. Make sure therapists belong to a professional organization requiring them to adhere to ethical guidelines.
4. Find out the cost. (Usually an hourly rate similar to conventional therapy.)
5. Make sure that the service (chat or e-mail) has a secure encrypted system.
6. Don't use public computers. Use your own computer, which other family members cannot access.
7. Try out the chat or e-mail to see if you and the therapist get along.
8. If the connection between you and the therapist doesn't feel right, switch therapy or therapist.
9. On e-mail, make sure the therapist will respond fairly quickly.
10. With e-mail, read over your message a couple of times before pressing "send."

Although counseling by phone is a different experience for both the therapist and the client, many of above considerations apply.

Psychotherapy: Improve your mental health

Psychotherapy: Improve your mental health through talk therapy written by Mayo Clinic Staff.

"Talking through your concerns with a therapist can help you find better ways to cope, solve problems and set realistic goals.

Psychotherapy is a general term for a way of treating mental and emotional disorders by talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health professional. It's also known as talk therapy, counseling or psychosocial therapy."

Read the entire article at Mayo Clinic

Emotional Health

"Mental Health: Keeping Your Emotional Health
What is good emotional health?
People with good emotional health are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships. They can keep problems in perspective.

What about anger?
What can I do to avoid problems?
How does stress affect my emotions?
Can emotional problems be treated?

From Familydoctor.org and  Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.