I am delighted to see that Wellness, Self-Care, Self-Management are the current buzzwords for health and recovery right now. It was a long time coming but its good to see an acknowledgement that it is the individual who knows their life best and, in that, knows what doesn't work for them and what … [Read more...]
How to get people to talk about themselves
Because the word "therapy" is attached to the model I use, I am often asked by people, outside of my field, how I get people to talk about their problems. I usually respond with a screwed up face: getting people to talk about their problems is not my aim. Encouraging people to answer questions … [Read more...]
When we prepare for Change – we have to rehearse for setbacks…
When I run training courses on Achieving Change, I introduce the importance of the Rehearsal for Change - I can see that delegates are comfortable about this, and comfortable too when I talk about the importance of identifying what needs to change; what difference it will make emotionally, … [Read more...]
Why no shiny TV “Quit” ads for Drug Recovery?
Revisiting this post from the Archives and I am still none the wiser as to why there is no TV campaign welcoming Cannabis or Class A Drug users to "come over to the healthy side of life" as there is for tobacco addicts. There are hundreds of Addiction Recovery charities in the UK so one imagines … [Read more...]
Live Long and Prosper
I have blogged elsewhere about how really interesting it is that the actor, Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in Star Trek said that after a while playing the role, he started becoming more logical and disciplined in his personal life and continued taking on elements of Spock's positive behaviours. … [Read more...]
Using analogies: resonating with the expert
I recently corresponded with a young woman who was presenting with bouts of despair that would apparently "appear like clouds over me" without any prior notice or reasoning. Her life is not similar to the majority of the young women I work with in that hers is financially secure, full of … [Read more...]
Using Solution Focused Approach – Guided Self Help
NICE-approved psychological therapies include "guided self help" which, is for me, exactly what the Solution Focused Approach does. Its use across a range of diverse issues: helping people manage illness or move forward towards alcohol and drug recovery, achieve change in relationships and resolve … [Read more...]
