Mental health service budgets 'cut by 8%' But we can still help you by offering affordable counselling

Mental health service budgets 'cut by 8%'

But we are still going strong regardless & offering affordable counselling

'Therapy for Life' has survived all along without funding or any aid from the government, and still able to offer affordable counselling for the public from as little as £15 per session on our scheme.

How do we do it? Our successful results bring back client after client through positive word-of-mouth. We are able to see clients within a week instead of long waiting lists, and our therapy is tailored to each client. We don't just use a single theory, we are integrated therapists and apply several theories to get the client to achieve their goals.

Successful companies like us are built on good feedback and results. That's how we survive inspite of the cuts that the NHS IAPT and MIND services suffer.
We are here and ready to help, why not come along and meet us. You'll be greeted with a warm friendly smile and offered something to suit your needs.

Client Testimonials:

"I have struggled with depression at various points in my life and have had anxiety as long as I can remember. I thought these were things I had to learn to live with.When it got really bad, I felt like there was nobody to help and no escape from my fears. It was a very frightening time. Luckily, I found Sam at Therapy for Life. Using CBT and other techniques, we talked through my worries and worked through my issues each week. She laid out a plan for me to do after each session and I felt empowered. My confidence grew and she gave lots of support and kindness. I was quickly back on my feet and I have got a brand new outlook on my life. It was a compelling and rewarding experience. I feel more in tune with myself and my confidence is here to stay. I am very glad I picked up the phone to her. I would highly recommend Therapy to Life and thank Sam for helping me feel free and happy."

Lucy from Southend-on-Sea

"On initially meeting Sam, you immediately realise why she is a counsellor. Being able to talk to someone knowing that they are truly listening is such an empowering experience. Sam shows such empathy and provides the perfect environment to be able to talk openly and honestly without the fear of being judged. Most of us at some time, for whatever reason, struggle to deal with certain issues and don’t quite know how to move forward. By seeing Sam and talking it through we worked together on coming up with a more positive way to deal with things. We owe it to ourselves to lead the happiest life possible. I would most definitely recommend Sam to anybody. You could not meet a kinder, more caring, genuine, trustworthy person. A truly positive experience. Thank you."

Keeley Smith from Essex


"Many thanks for the care, warmth and professionalism you have shown me over the last few months Sam. As I have said to you before, I am amazed at how much I have got out of the counselling sessions. I have a greater understanding of myself, feel more relaxed and able to manage life’s challenges better, which previously caused me a lot of anxiety - can’t thank you enough!"

Nicola Huggan from Essex

"I can honesty say therapy for life changed my life in every way As cliche as it may sound I feel like I've grown as a woman and person in mind and spirit. Sam was so welcoming and warm I felt comfortable and safe. Thank you is not enough I will be forever and eternally grateful."
Laurelle from Essex

"We found our counselling sessions really helpful and supportive. Sam was really lovely and made us feel at ease. Just having someone listen to our situation really helped us in our relationship. We would definitely recommend Sam and therapy for life for anyone who may have problems or struggling with life in general"
Claire and John from Southend-on-Sea

Source: BBC News

Could it be that our children are self-medicating with Sound?

I’ve always believed our brains try to find a way to help us out. When clients come to me feeling low, one of the questions I ask is...

“What seems to help?”

The client usually manages to reel off at least a couple of things that seem to lift their mood slightly, quite often to their own surprise.

We as humans want to be happy and healthy, and our brain and body is doing the best it can in the background.

Some people genuinely do already have or create for themselves a negative chemical change in the brain, which can lead to feelings attached to depression.

Others have irrational or rational fears and worries that don’t seem to leave their heads bringing them down in a spiral of depression.

Breaking that cycle of constant woe and gloom is extremely difficult and seems impossible for some.

So what if there was an easy and regular way to actually affect the pathways and chemicals in the brain physically? How much would that give us a boost out of depressive states?

It has been discovered that sounds such as music are capable of reliably affecting moods and emotions by affecting the dopamine in the brain (so they suspect). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter heavily involved in emotional behaviour and mood regulation.

Depending on your genetics though depends on what type of sound or piece of music is most effective at stimulating your individual dopamine.

You may well enjoy listening to heavy rock, when all you actually need to lift your spirits is a spot of Bach!

“We are really excited about our results because they suggest that even a non-pharmacological intervention such as music, might regulate mood and emotional responses at both the behavioural and neuronal level," says Professor Elvira Brattico.

Can you imagine... soon we might find ourselves getting referred by our GP for a ‘personalised music-based intervention’ for the treatment of depression and anxiety rather than taking anti depressant and anti anxiety drugs.

I personally have seen many teenagers walking around with their earphones in, are they already self-medicating without consciously realising it?

I have also had many clients that find music an important part of their relaxation regime. Do we already know this deep down? Perhaps music just didn’t seem to be a viable or strong enough cure?

My son is taking a Music Degree, and is considering taking that work and combining it with psychology to be a specialist in Music Therapy. He believes in the power of music and this has certainly opened my eyes up to it.

Isn’t it amazing how sometimes the cure can simply be right under our nose... or in this case next to our ears!!

So if you haven’t already compiled your favourite ‘feel-good’ music list, it’s scientifically proven to be beneficial. Keeping your music choice diverse is key, perhaps you’ll notice how much more lifted you feel after particular genres of music and then get more of the same.

Task: Try listening to a diverse choice of music twice a day and see how your moods are affected to get your ultimate dopamine affecting compilation.

Written by Sam Crook Director at Therapy for Life.
www.therapyforlife.co.uk

Source : Sciencedaily

12 Tips for "Couple Trouble"

Things to Think About

1      Take stock of what is truly important in your life.  How would you spend your time if you had six months to live?  How would you think about you relationship differently?

2      Accept compromise and tolerate the persistent differences.  Most happy couples learn to live with significant differences about money, in-laws, vacations, household chores, etc.  Acknowledging the differences between the two of you does not have to mean you agree with them.

3      Identify and separate your frustrations.  Frustrations come from many sources, work, children, school etc.  Frustrations can come from the present and the past.  Avoid dumping frustrations on your partner that belong somewhere else.

Things to Do

4      Catch your partner doing something right.  Look for partner behaviours that are pleasing, and compliment your partner when he or she does them.

5      Surprise your partner with thoughtfulness.  Use your knowledge of your partner to please him or her unexpectedly.  Allow your partner to discover your thoughtfulness by her or himself.  Curb your disappointment if your partner misses your effort.  Try something else.

6      Carve out “couple time” your partner will enjoy.  Our busy lives often fill up with tasks.  Take time to spend with your partner.

Manage Tense Moments

7      Before reacting angrily, count to ten.  This old adage actually works.  Speak your point, but without the anger.  Every expression of negative emotion requires five expressions of positive emotion to regain a position of neutral feeling

8      Negotiate an unconventional place to discuss contentious issues.   Moving from your usual location of arguments to another room can shift your disagreements enough to reduce negative feelings and introduce new ideas.

9      Take a time out.  When issues get heated, politely announce a twenty-minute time out and then return with a calm tone and the intention to compromise.

10  When you know you have made a mistake, apologise. Few of us live closely with a partner without making some mistakes.  Admit your fault, say your sorry, and explore ways to avoid the mistake in the future.

Listen with Your Heart 

11  Provide support, solutions are secondary.  Feeling attached is a strong binding force in a relationship.  Many partners seek to relieve the frustrations of daily life by sharing them with a partner.  Really listening fosters togetherness.  Many of us impatient listeners try to shorten the process by offering solutions before our partner is ready to hear them.  Listen first.  If a solution occurs to you say,  “When you are ready, dear, I have a solution that might be helpful to you.”   When your partner is ready, she or he will be more open to your idea.

12 Deeply listen to your partner.  On an issue that is important to your partner, repeat your partner’s words back to them so that he or she knows you are really listening.  Keep this up and when your partner is finished, say the three most challenging words in a relationship,

 “Is there more?” 

 Continue listening until your partner can answer “No” to this question.  This is difficult to do but can go a long way to strengthening your relationship. 

If you think you may benefit from couples counselling please contact Sam at Therapy for Life

You may want somewhere neutral to really sort things out, and you will learn new skills and techniques in communication to help your relationship long term.

Where do your priorities lie?

I have had clients addicted to various substances and behaviours in my counselling experience. When it comes to paying me for my services to help them they sometimes say...

“I can’t afford to pay you this week, can I pay next week?”
- OR -
“ I have no money, but can I still come to the session?”

It’s an unfair position to put the counsellor in; the dilemma is that within a helping profession such as this, it is difficult to turn a client down who needs help. It goes against my nature to turn someone away. I allow the unpaid session and I realise as their story continues, that they are infact under the influence of a substance (that they purchased this morning), or did infact deplete their finances to fuel their addiction the day or weekend before they came. This is typical behaviour for people suffering with addictions, logic has trouble prevailing and the fact that they had taken advantage of you can get missed with the condition.

I’ve had clients spend £100’s to £1000’s on cocaine, alcohol and prostitutes just before their counselling session and then tell me they have nothing left to pay me with. I of course take the opportunity to challenge the client’s priorities at this stage and question whether they really want to continue counselling. It's a tough conversation for both of us.

On the other hand, away from addiction, in my experience working as a dental nurse for over 15 years, and being on Tax Credits, I have seen many patients on Income Support and Tax Credits who appeared to have either their nails manicured or their hair professionally styled and some even wearing designer clothing.... People on benefits seem to be able to save for and afford some occasional personal treats as I was also able to do.

Back then, if I had problems coping with life, I would certainly sacrifice certain treats to get the help I needed... Maybe I'm alone in this thinking...

Surely if someone feels their situation is becoming unbearable, thoughts are becoming too irrational and life is increasingly upsetting. Do you still get your acrylic nails done? Or do you put that off briefly and put that money towards some real help with your life? 

Isn't it a matter of Prioritising what finances you do have?

Yes a treat for yourself is certainly a nice quick fix to feel better, but it hasn’t resolved the depression, anxiety, stress or loss that you are feeling overall.

Your options are to just leave things as they are

- OR -

To pop along to the GP and refer yourself to the free NHS service and be put on the waiting list. (This can work for some)

- OR -

You could come along and see us immediately and get started on the road to recovery and wellbeing fast. The nice thing about our therapeutic counsellors is that we are willing to negotiate a session price based on your income to make it affordable for you.

Your decision really depends on:

How long you are able to wait for help with your problems

If you are willing or able to pay something affordable each week...

towards taking steps to improving your life for good.

"I have seen many clients on benefits and agree an affordable price they are happy with. Many have been on the NHS waiting list and couldn't wait any longer. They had only a few sessions with me and felt so much better having left with new skills and new hope. Even at the end of treatment, they still hadn't got their appointment through from the NHS - they were just glad to feel better so much more quickly."

Sam at Therapy for Life 

At Therapy For Life, we tailor your sessions to suit your needs. As integrated therapists we have access to many types of different therapies... And we can see you now!

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has been proven to affect the brain physically... in 9 weeks!

26 people were helped with their Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) over 9 weeks using CBT, proof seen by the reduction in swelling and activity of each participants stress area of their brain.

A group of researchers from Linköping University and other Swedish universities has studied how internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) affects brain volume and activity.

The amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula and hippocampus, have central roles in the acquisition and expression of fear in the brain.

Exaggerated neural response in these regions has commonly been reported in anxiety disorders.

"The greater the improvement we saw in the patients, the smaller the size of their amygdalae. The study also suggests that the reduction in volume drives the reduction in brain activity," 

says doctoral student Kristoffer NT Månsson,

The study comprised of 52 participants of which 26 individuals were treated over the internet for nine weeks with CBT, making it a relatively small study. But participants were monitored in reduction of stress felt by an independent psychiatrist using scaling such as the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale as well as MRI scans and Neuroimaging to detect volume and activity levels of the amygdala.

In conclusion, they demonstrated compelling evidence that applying CBT for a common anxiety disorder changed the physical structure and neurofunctional response of the amygdala.

................................................................

Amazing how our thoughts can actually change the shape of our brain.

The idea that a part of the brain literally swells in volume when its being used too much is evidence of how adaptive our brains are.

So how and why do we damage ourselves by inflicting problems like depression and SAD onto ourselves? Our perception of the environment and reality are skewed and distorted in some way. We have trains of irrational thoughts that lead to many distorted views and prevent us from seeing the bigger picture which in turn can cause unwanted feelings and behaviour.

A combination of bad experiences and learned childhood survival techniques affect our perception of the environment and events as adults. 

If you are interested in reading more about distorted thoughts, go to this blog;

DistortedThoughts... How many do you have?

If you would like help with General Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or any other worries contact Sam at Therapy for Life

Source: Translational Psychiatry