Articles/Blog

Self Esteem (low)

Self Esteem (low)

News
Where does low self esteem come from?  (see full article on self esteem) If a child lives with encouragement they learn how to be confident. If a child lives with criticism, they can become anxious and shy. If you have been ridiculed or ignored in your formative years, you can easily end up feeling shy and unimportant, with low self esteem. Equally you can develop a facade of confidence when underneath you may feel constantly fragile. As parents we do the best we can, but if we weren’t dealt the cards ourselves such as value, praise, love, worth and patience, it’s hard to pass them on. If your parents, who will have done/be doing their best, were brought up in a limited, low self esteem environment, they will pass on what they learnt. They may not realise the damage…
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Danielle’s Diary of beginning therapy

Danielle’s Diary of beginning therapy

Article
A blog describing one person's experience of the first six sessions of counselling. First step - Making an appointment. Just made my first appt with the counsellor. She seemed OK on the phone. We didn’t really talk about my issues, more the practicalities. Next Tuesday 11am. Still not sure… may change my mind. First arrival So…didn’t change my mind …arrived and managed to find the waiting room the counsellor told me about. Turned up a bit early as I was nervous about whether I’d get here on time, (did take a wrong turn). Feeling anxious but don’t want to let it show. Not sure what to expect. I want help, but really hope therapist is OK, otherwise I’ll clam up. Session 1 Therapist collected me and seemed pleasant enough. We…
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Sex Therapy

Sex Therapy

News
Many people go through phases where they are unhappy with their sexual relationship. Your sex therapist is trained & experienced in working with couple relationships and can work with you either as an individual or a couple.  He or she will also be a trained and qualified psychosexual therapist who will listen sensitively to your description of your problem to ensure the treatment plan meets your needs. The therapy sessions involve talking & you will be given homework to do in the privacy of your home. Some examples of difficulties that can arise are: Loss of desire Pain during sex Anxiety Premature ejaculation No erection or loss of erection Difficulty reaching orgasm Vaginal soreness etc Sexual difficulties can arise either for psychological reasons (eg stress, effects of loss, personal or…
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Eating Addictions

Eating Addictions

News
Sharon Osborne talks openly about her emotional issues including the need to get up in the middle of a meal and go and make herself sick after eating a lot. That's called bulimia and has little to do with food and a lot to do with trying to find some emotional comfort through eating and then purging the guilt by being sick. We all call on things to reduce our emotional discomfort, like a drink or a drug or a gamble etc etc. However, when the taster doesn't prove to be enough we take some more, until we become reliant on it to keep us sane. Behold it has morphed into an addiction before we notice. These are all the symptoms not the cause. The cause is the initial bad feeling.…
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Depression Blog

Depression Blog

Article
DEPRESSION CAN BUGGER UP YOUR LIFE ! Depression is weird as it's often a result of a past experience that we've either forgotten about or avoid like the plague! So the first step is to track down the cause, with a therapist who is the emotional equivalent of a Red Indian tracker. Therapy helps us uncover the cause and deal with it. More details. Freddy Flintoff, the England, cricket captain found himself self medicating by drinking too heavily during the cricket world cup, as he had no idea why he was feeling so down. He wanted to sit by himself while the others wanted to celebrate their successes. `I just needed the doctor to tell me what was wrong, but nobody told me it was depression.` Winston Churchill used to…
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Queen’s Honour for local practitioner

Queen’s Honour for local practitioner

News
WE ARE THRILLED THAT KATHRYN LIVINGSTONE from the West Midlands, has been awarded the Queen's BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL in the New Years Honours list for services to people with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder - that used to be called Multiple Personality). At Birmingham Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre we have therapists who support and work with DID. We also provide a regular peer support group for therapists who work with DID clients, as well as their usual therapeutic supervision. DID is one of the more complex difficulties to work with but it is better supported and more understood than ever before because of people like Kathryn. This makes the honour to Kathryn for her work in this field all the more special. Kathryn founded First Person Plural (FPP – a grassroots…
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How to Cope With Bereavement & Loss

How to Cope With Bereavement & Loss

Article
The loss of someone you love or something that was important to you can be very upsetting and sometimes feel overwhelming. A natural grieving process is important for any kind bereavement and will remain unfinished until addressed. Some of us have difficulty staying in touch with upsettling emotions around bereavement and can then try and suppress the painful feelings. The grieving process will remain unfinished and the uncomfortable feelings can then surface at other times with intensity and often much confusion, causing difficulty in relationships at home and work. Counselling can be used to help with this process.     Grieving is a natural process we go through in response to bereavement or losses of many kinds, eg. death, loss of a job, relationship breakdown, life events again and any…
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Mental & Emotional Dis-ease

Mental & Emotional Dis-ease

News
- does it really effect that many of us? Mental illness is the leading cause of sickness and absence from work according to the Mental Health Foundation. Every year in the UK 70 million workdays are lost due to mental illness; including anxiety, depression and stress related conditions. There is more in the news about mental health, which means it is more acknowledged and talked about, which is great. Unfortunately the understanding, resources and support needed to support people and work effectively with them is lagging way behind what is needed. The number of people who are affected by mental health is rising. In 1990, 416 million people suffered from depression or anxiety worldwide - these numbers rose to 615 million in 2013 (World Health Organisation, 2016). Mental illness is…
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Counselling for Depression

Counselling for Depression

Article
Where does Depression come from? Depression is extremely common and is thought to affect one in ten of us in our lifetime. Whilst the despair that depression can cause cannot be underestimated, it is important to understand that anyone can be affected and that most people respond well to treatment. Depression may be triggered by recent or past traumas or significant life changes such as relationship breakdowns or a bereavement. Usually something that has been difficult to deal with or just avoided. Can Depression be treated? If you suffer with depression it may feel like you will feel this way forever, however with support and treatment most people are able to make a full recovery. At BCPC, we have a number of therapists experienced in treating depression. Who else has…
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Inspiring Poem

Inspiring Poem

Article
Below is the `Guy in a Glass’ poem that challenges us about how we live our life. It was read to the English rugby team in Australia last June before they beat the hosts & won the series for the FIRST TIME EVER.  The poem was seen as being an inspiring contribution to that. This was because it connected with the emotions of the players rather than a more thoughtful, intellectual approach that is often used. Being able to access our feelings can sometimes be difficult but counselling can support you to access them and find answers that defy a more thinking & analytic approach!     `Guy in The Glass` by Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr     `guy` can be man or woman.. When you get what you want in your struggle…
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