It is difficult to understand and relate to a person who is suffering from depression. The lack of understanding can either cause you to distance yourself from the person or become frustrated with that person. There are certain things to know and understand before you decide to end your relationship with that person. Living with someone that has been diagnosed with depression can often impact on a relationship. Better understanding what the person is going through, as well as what your role is in supporting them, can not only help the person, but improve on your relationship with them. Haley ..read more

1 out of 75 people suffer from panic attacks. It most likely that you know of someone who has experienced such anxiety.Beverley, Counselling Psychologist, looks at panic attacks and ways to help reduce them. A Brief look at Panic Attacks Panic attacks are common phenomena which seem to strike suddenly, such as when you are driving in your car or doing grocery shopping. A panic attack is an overwhelming sense of fear or apprehension caused by your brain misinterpreting a situation as being petrifying. Panic attacks are a form of survival – the fight, flight or freeze response – which humans ha ..read more

What are boundaries? Personal boundaries are the limits and rules we set for ourselves within relationships. A person with healthy boundaries can say “no” to others when they want to, but they are also comfortable opening themselves up to intimacy and close relationships. Boundaries look at the difference between two people’s responsibilities for their own problems. Boundaries are crossed when people place the responsibility of their thoughts, feelings and actions on to others. Are my boundaries being crossed? Boundaries can be crossed in any relationship - with family, friends, colleagues an ..read more

Helping a child deal with death is one of the most difficult tasks a parent/caretaker may have to face. Parents/caretakers often feel distressed by the child’s pain and frequently have to face their own feelings of loss. Below are a few guidelines to help children deal with the loss of a loved one. 1. Help the Child Feel Safe A child’s most vital need after losing a loved one is that of safety and survival. It is important that you tell them who will be taking care of them and how. As far as possible, be careful not to bring about major changes in the child’s life and try to keep their extern ..read more

Depression is a seemingly common but misunderstood mood disorder. Many people believe it is a sign of weakness, or something you can just snap out of. Meaningful Minds, Clinical Psychologist, Melissa Cilliers looks at what depression really is and how to treat it. Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed ..read more

Therapy is a unique relationship between two people. One of the primary factors for successful therapy is the feeling of safety and trust within the therapy space. For this reason, it is important that you feel comfortable with the person you choose as your psychologist. Like other relationships in your life, there are some people you click with and others you don’t. If you feel that you are not ‘clicking’ with your therapist, asked to be referred to someone else. ​ Steps to Choosing a Psychologist ​ Decide Why You Want to Start Therapy ​ The first step is understanding why you want to see a ..read more

With the holiday season around the corner, most of us have been looking forward to this needed break. However, as much as we look forward to it, the holiday season can also result in feelings of being overwhelmed, sad and lonely. Additionally, one may have to face challenging family dynamics. Hopefully this guide to keeping calm, beating the holiday blues, and connecting with your family, will help you to maximize feelings of peace and joy this holiday season. Tips to keep calm Plan as much as possible in advance. The more you schedule things the less overwhelmed you will feel having to make ..read more

At the start of the year, we are full of motivation to become better versions of ourselves. New year – New Me. Lets fast forward a few days and most of those sincere, steadfast resolutions are long forgotten. Why is it so difficult to stick to resolutions for change? Deciding What Needs to be Resolved One of the first problems we encounter is setting generic goals. Lose weight, save money. There is nothing wrong with such goals, but if we are not considering the bigger picture of who we are and why we want to achieve these things, our motivation quickly dissipates. Instead of setting spur of ..read more

Many believe that seeing a psychologist is only for people suffering from a mental illness. However, you may be surprised to learn that psychotherapy has a multitude of benefits for everyone. Therapy is not only about treating mental health problems. Therapy is about facilitating wellness and growth - this is incredibly influential for change in our personal, relational and/ or vocational spheres of life. With physical health, people often look at poor health as being either the presence of an unwanted pathogen or condition, and good health as the absence of those. With mental health, we need ..read more

Introduction We are all experiencing a variety of negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown situation. Some of these emotions and responses include fear, uncertainty, excessive worrying and states of depression (with symptoms such as helplessness, hopelessness, despondency, sadness and melancholy). Many of these symptoms manifest as anxiety. A severe degree of anxiety leads to panic attacks (acute intense moments of panic, fast heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, pins and needles, nausea and muscle contractions). Anxiety can be seen as the most prevalent and ..read more