Radical acceptance is an aspect of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT); DBT teaches 4 key skills which include Distress tolerance, Mindfulness, Emotion regulation and Interpersonal effectiveness. Radical acceptance is all about a change in attitude, intentionally changing the way you look at things. If something bad happens, or something goes wrong then blaming others or getting angry or cross about it might be a normal reaction. But this doesn’t change the situation and the

What drives us to be how we are? When we were young we learned ways of being – ways of behaving, thinking and feeling that are responses to our environment. Some ways of being are really positive – if you grow up in a caring loving family and are taught values of caring and loving for example. Positive lessons on how to think and behave which might result in good manners, raised social awareness and a sense of responsibility. Perhaps the environment of those early years has a

Let me start by saying that I recognise that not everyone wants to do exercise, and also that not everyone is able to get out and exercise – whether because they are too anxious to go out, or because they can’t physically do so. I respect you for that and I will try and offer something for you in a future blog. This blog is really for those people who could do some exercise, but don’t, who need motivation, who aren’t sure how to start, don’t think its possible but might like

What is Counselling? Counselling is a talking therapy that allows a person to discuss their problems, thoughts and feelings in a confidential and safe environment. ​ Counselling sessions last for one hour and are usually attended on a weekly basis. The actual number of sessions that a person requires depends on each individual. Some clients want to work through a difficult issue over many weeks or months, whilst others prefer just a few sessions to have the opportunity to tal

In this bog I would like to offer some thoughts on phobias; a definition, types and what can be done about them. So firstly, a definition – Phobias an irrational fear that a person develops as a response to specific objects, animals or situations. It is important to notice that the term ‘irrational’ is included as this can be controversial – for example if Tommy was bitten by a dog then it might seem rational that he develops a strong fear of dogs, but actually the situation

What is Anchoring? Anchoring is quite simply the process of connecting one thing to another. A ship connects itself to the sea floor with an anchor to stop it moving. A person can be anchored to and event, or to a particular object – they form a connection between the event or the object and themselves. In psychological terms we call this ‘conditioning’; when a person responds to a particular event or object in a certain way. Classical conditioning is where a conditional stim

Some people just know what's right and what's not right; but sometimes life can be overwhelming - hard to be specific about what's not right. The wheel of life is a tool for thinking about how much you value various parts of your life; Shown below is a ten part wheel; the parts of the wheel are Community, Friends, Spouse/Partner/Significant other, Health, Career, Finances, Family, Fun/Recreation, Spirituality and Physical. If there are particular areas in your life that are i