Canada Telephone Counselling Confidential

Phone Counselling Helps Depression

Susan Aldridge, PhD, a medical journalist, writes at HealthandAge.com about a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (April 2004):

"Patients beginning antidepressant treatment can benefit from phone and outreach-based psychotherapy too, according to a study. Ideally, depression is treated by a combination of antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy. But, often, face-to-face psychotherapy is not available or the patient doesn't show up for it.

A team at Group Health in Seattle USA has been looking at whether patients can benefit from phone therapy - possibly a more convenient way of delivering treatment. They assigned a group to usual care, usual care plus phone therapy (including outreach visits) and usual care with care management and cognitive behavioural therapy delivered by phone.

Those in the phone therapy groups did better than those receiving just usual care. It's true that phone therapy lacks some of the depth of the person-to-person approach. But clearly it can be of great benefit and is more easily accessible to more people in need of therapy. The team, backed by the National Institute of Mental Health, is now looking at how phone therapy compares to conventional psychotherapy."

Telephone counselling is available with Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed., Certified Counsellor

When Grief Comes to the Workplace: Helping a Grieving Co-Worker

As a society we are not very comfortable with the subject of death.  Things become even more complicated when a loved one of a co-worker dies.  What the grieving person needs most often is for others to listen and to care.  Here are some ways that you can help a grieving co-worker.

1. During their absence, a phone call or a card is a good way to let them know that you care.  Perhaps you can inquire if your company or organization will be acknowledging the loss by sending the employee a card or flowers or a representative to the funeral.
2. When your co-worker returns to work take a moment to express your sympathies.  Don’t worry about trying to find the perfect words or worry about saying the wrong thing.  The important thing is to let them know how sorry you are that they are going through such a difficult time.  Something like “I am so sorry for your loss”, is a good place to start.
3. Listen to them.  If and when they are ready to speak about what they are going through, just listen.  Follow your co-worker’s cues.  Every few days ask them how they are doing.  Give them an opportunity to talk about how they are feeling.  Let them talk about their grieving experience at their own pace.
4. Share the workload.  Your co-worker may find it difficult to concentrate, become distracted, and feel numb or tearful.  Let them know you are willing to share the workload with them for a while until they are able to assume their regular routine.
5. Continue to include your grieving colleague in the work routine as well as social events such as lunch or going for coffee.  Let them chose the amount of social interaction they need.
6. Do something practical and specific for them such as prepare a meal they can take home or offer to run an errand or do a chore. Don’t tell the grieving person to call you if they need something – take the initiative to call them.
7. Be patient.  Everyone grieves in their own way.  People don’t “get over” the death of a loved one – over time they learn to live in spite of their loss.  As a co-worker you can help by expressing your sympathies, listening to them, sharing the workload and allow them to grieve in their own way.

Grief Resources: Dawn Cruchet, Grief Reactions Associated With the Workplace

Technorati Tags: grief, counselling, counseling, therapy, phone therapy, telephone therapy, telephone counseling, workplace, co-worker, help, death

Telephone Support and Chronic Back Pain

Controlled trial of Internet-based treatment with telephone support for chronic back pain.Buhrman M, Faltenhag S, Strom L, Andersson G. Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 12 25, SE-751 42 Uppsala, Sweden from PubMed

"The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention with telephone support for chronic back pain. Participants who met the criteria for chronic back pain (N=56) were randomly assigned to either an Internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help treatment or to a waiting-list control condition. The study period lasted 8 weeks and consisted of 1 week of self-monitoring prior to the intervention, 6 weeks of intervention, and 1 week of post-intervention assessment. Treatment consisted of education, cognitive skill acquisition, behavioral rehearsal, generalization and maintenance. The dropout rate was 9% (N=5). Results showed statistically significant improvements in catastrophizing, control over pain and ability to decrease pain.

Some improvement was found in both the control group and the treatment group. A follow-up of 3 months after treatment termination was completed in 92% (N=47) of the participants who completed the treatment intervention. Follow-up results showed that some improvement was maintained. Findings indicate that Internet-based self-help with telephone support, based on established psychological treatment methods, holds promise as an effective approach for treating disability in association with pain." PubMed

Telephone counselling is available with Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed., Certified Counsellor

Technorati Tags: chronic pain, counselling, telephone counselling, certified counsellor, support, cognitive behavioral, treatment, self-help, internet

Five Ways to Stress-Less Over the Holidays

1. Decide what is important. What the most important part of the holiday season is to you.  Is it spending time with family and friends?  Is it offering someone a helping hand?  Is it making sure that a family in your community has a holiday dinner? Once you know what your focus is, write it down on three or four cue cards and put one on the dashboard of your car, one of the fridge, one near the phone, and one on the bathroom mirror.  This will help to remind you what is important about the holiday season and what isn’t.
2. Learn to say no.  Say no to all of the things that do not contribute to a happy holiday. Say no to too much spending, no to too many gifts, no to the madness of rushing from one store to another, no to over scheduling yourself and your family.  If your schedule is already full and want to refuse an invitation in a polite way simply say, “Thank you for the invitation and I’d like to join you but I am booked.”  No explanation is necessary.
3. Lower your expectations and don’t strive for perfection – most of the time good enough is okay. Home baked cookies for your child’s class are not a requirement for good parenting. Another thing - don’t expect your family to be perfect over the holidays. Remind yourself that they are who they are and the holidays don’t change people and sometimes the stress of hte holidays makes annoying behavior worse.
4. Plan ahead, use an agenda and stick to a schedule as much as possible. Include the time it takes to get back and forth to special holiday events. And don’t forget to Include the time you will spend shopping and some leeway for time spent waiting in line or waiting for customer service. Rushing into a department store and expecting to do all of your shopping in a short amount of time is setting yourself up for holiday stress.   
5. Overspending is a major source of holiday stress. Determine how many gifts you want to purchase (be realistic) and set a dollar limit for each gift, plus or minus a few dollars. If you are stressed out about what to buy for whom, re-read tip #1. Withdrawing cash to pay for gifts is a good way for you to “see” how much you are spending. After every shopping trip, Tally the amount so you can keep track of what you are spending. Don’t forget to include money for special foods and meals in your budget.

Technorati Tags: stress, holidays, family, friends, money, expectations

Diabetes and Depression

According to the Canadian Diabetes Association and the American Diabetes Association , people with diabetes are at greater risk for developing depression. On the other side of the coin, people with depression may be at greater risk for developing diabetes.

If you would like to learn more about depression and diabetes, the signs of depression and what you can do to manage both you can download the following document called Diabetes and Depression.pdf . I have also created an e-book called Positive Perspective Quotes for the Diabetic Soul.pdf.

Here's a great blog about all things diabetes called The Diabetes Blog written by a variety of folks who are living with diabetes. Some other helpful blogs about diabetes are Diabetes Mine and The Diabetes Talkfest.

Getting Over Anger: A tele-course for women

Is your anger having an negative impact on your relationships at home or at work?

Artistotle said, "Anyone can become angry. This is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not easy."

What is your anger style?  Do you avoid your anger at all cost; never let anyone know you are angry but seethe on the inside?  Perhaps you rage at the drop of a hat, ready to defend yourself against any perceived slight.  Do you reactive angrily by habit and instead of expressing other emotions like sadness or fear? 

The first step is an awareness of the problem. If your boss or someone in your life has told you more than once that you have a problem with anger, pay attention.  No one can make you angry; getting angry is your choice. Once you accept the responsibility for your anger, the next step is to do something about it!

The rewards for dealing with your anger are ongoing; increased self-esteem, better health, increased optimism, greater productivity at work, better relationships with your co-workers, family and friends. Now, who doesn't want that?

Looking for an anger management tele-course for women offered by a certified mental health counsellor? Visit my website for all the details or Download getting_over_anger_teleclass.pdf or send me an email at lucy@lucymacdonald.com

Choosing a Mental Health Counsellor

Everyone faces situations in life that are difficult and overwhelming.  One way to cope is to consult with a professional counsellor.  Counsellors can help you make a career change, deal with the death of a loved one, overcome panic attacks, manage stress, get over anger, cope with divorce, chronic pain, bullying, school anxiety  - in short, counsellors are trained to help you face a wide range of difficulties.

Counsellors work with people across the life span – from childhood, through adolescence, and adulthood.  Counsellors offer their services in a variety of modes: individual counselling, couple, family, and groups.

Finding the right counsellor is often a confusing process. You can use the following guidelines to identify a qualified, helpful counsellor.

1. A good counsellor is a qualified profession with a university education (often a master’s degree or higher) from a recognized university. You can ask to see their university degree, where they did their internship and how long they’ve been in practice.
2. A good counsellor is part of an association to which they are accountable, has a code of ethics, and which grants certification based on high standards of training and education. The Canadian Counselling Association (CCA) certifies qualified counselors. To find a Canadian Certified Counsellor in Canada, contact The Canadian Counselling Association at 1-877-765-5565 or by visiting their website at www.ccacc.ca
3. A good counsellor has expertise and the necessary training or area of specialization to help with you specific problems.
4. A good counsellor listens more than they speak and keeps the focus on you.  A good counsellor is respectful and willing to challenge you when necessary.
5. A good counsellor is someone you are comfortable with, who is nonjudgmental, someone you can trust with the personal details of your life. A good counsellor encourages and answers your questions.
6. A good counsellor discusses the issue of confidentiality with you, explains when confidentiality might be broken and with whom and under what circumstances the counsellor can discuss your case.A good counsellor helps you set clearly defined goals and a plan of action. A good counsellor gives you an estimate of how long counselling might last and how counselling will end.
7. A good counsellor describes appontment policy with you including the session fees, method of payment, the policy regarding missed appointments, the length of each session and how to reach them in case of an emergency.
8. A good counsellor welcomes your feedback and asks how you feel the counselling process is going and if you have any concerns or questions.

Counselling resources: American Counselling Association, Canadian Counselling Association, British Association of Counselling and Pyschotherapy