What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a basic, fundamental emotion that we all experience when our bodies anticipate threat or danger. However, for various reasons, sometimes people can miscalculate the danger of a situation and may experience anxiety issues that are out of proportion to the actual event. If your feelings of worry and stress occur often, for a long period of time, or feel as though they are consuming you, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

If you feel that any of the above applies to you, know that you are not alone, as anxiety is one of the most common issues and you can benefit greatly from therapy.

What is bereavement?

Bereavement is the name given to describe the sense of loss we feel when a loved one passes away. When you are grieving, it is normal to feel a range of emotions such as sadness, anger, anxiety and guilt, but sometimes bereavement can be particularly overwhelming or bring up feelings that are difficult to manage. If you are experiencing ‘complicated bereavement’, this can cause you to become withdrawn, angry, or even experience symptoms of depression.

If you experience these symptoms, therapy can be helpful in understanding your loss and how it has impacted you and your life.

What is depression?

We all feel sad and fed up occasionally, whether it be in response to an upsetting experience or for no reason at all. However, if you are feeling this way for weeks or months, rather than just a few days, you may be suffering from depression.

Counselling can help you to start making sense of why you are feeling like this and it can help to lighten the load. Getting to know your depression and how to work with it, rather than against it can make big difference.

What is body image?

Body image relates to how we see ourselves and how we present to the world. The pressures to look a certain way are becoming more and prevalent in society. Many people feel uncomfortable in their bodies and are troubled by insecurities. This  can affect them in many ways such as loss of confidence and overall enjoyment of life.

Therapy can help you to understand why you feel the way you do about your body. You can learn to reconnect with it, so that you can enjoy a much healthier relationship with it.

What is panic attacks?

Panic attack is the name given to a group of symptoms that occur when a person is experiencing extreme anxiety. People who suffer from an anxiety disorder known as panic disorder have regular and recurring panic attacks often for no apparent reason.

If you are having a panic attack you may experience psychological symptoms including an overwhelming sense of fear, apprehension and anxiety.

If you feel that the above applies to you, therapy can help you to understand how and why panic attacks happen.

What is relationship difficulties?

Having healthy relationships with others – be it friends, family, colleagues, or significant others – provides us with so many benefits, and is so important for our mental health and wellbeing. As we are all unique, it is impossible for us to agree with everyone on everything, and so naturally, relationship difficulties and tensions can sometimes occur. However, experiencing frequent or intense conflict in your relationships with others is a real and serious, but common issue, that can affect many aspects of your daily life, without you even realising it.

If you are finding it hard to communicate with your partner, are experiencing challenges with your boss or within work relationships, or struggling to relate to your family, therapy can be a safe space for you to discuss your issues, get to the root of the difficulties, and work through adaptive ways to resolve them.

What is stress?

Stress is the body’s way of responding to situations that are demanding or which may be threatening, such as financial difficulties, work-related issues, or problems within personal relationships. When we experience a sense of threat, our bodies go into ‘fight or flight’ mode where they release stress hormones to prepare for emergency action to protect us from danger. If a someone is unable to distinguish between daily stressors and life threatening events, this can result in extreme and/or frequent stress issues and an inability to manage it effectively can cause further difficulties and become debilitating. Many health problems can be exacerbated by stress.

If you feel that you are experiencing extreme or frequent stress, therapy can help you to understanding current causes of stress in your life and identify what factors might be making your stress worse.

What is work related stress?

Having a job can have huge benefits for your mental health, as it provides you with routine and structure, a source of income, and opportunities to gain achievements and experience success. However, sometimes issues within your workplace can make your job a source of stress.

Stress is the body’s way of responding to situations that are demanding or which may be threatening. Being under pressure is normal and sometimes a sense of threat can be a good motivator to make you take action and get results. However, tight deadlines, long hours, difficult colleagues, and seemingly endless demands can end up causing extreme and/or frequent stress that is overwhelming. This stress can affect your productivity and work performance, harm your physical and mental health, and impair your relationships and home life.

If you feel that you are experiencing extreme or frequent stress, therapy can help you to understanding current causes of stress in your life and identify what factors might be making your stress worse.