Anxiety is a kind of fear or worry about something that has happened or might happen. It is normal to have a certain amount of anxiety – before a job interview but sometimes it can become all-consuming and stops us getting on with our lives. Anxiety can affect how we feel and how we behave and stop us doing things that we want to do. Sometimes, when something traumatic has happened in our past, similar situations can trigger anxiety. In its most extreme form, anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as panic attacks and sleeplessness. Stress at work or school, money worries and relationship break-ups can all cause anxiety.

Depression can be caused by environmental, biological or social factors. It can cause changes in behaviour such as irritability and loss of concentration. It isn’t just ‘having a bad day’, it is persistent and can cause problems with sleeping, loss of appetite and make you feel completely drained; I have heard it described as ‘like wading through treacle’ since everything becomes such a huge effort. At its worst Depression can make you feel like life isn’t worth living.

Family issues and issues with children. Having trouble coping with the challenging behaviour of a child or an older family member? Want to make changes to improve family life and communication? Or maybe you would like to discuss changes you would like to make personally in order to have a more positive impact on your family? In today’s world it is getting harder and harder to strike that work-life balance which can create difficulties with-in the family and sometimes lead to conflict. How we react to a stressful situation can determine the outcome and having some well thought out strategies – especially for situations that keep reappearing within the family - can be really helpful.

Grief can feel a lot like Depression in some ways – however it is different. The death of someone we love or the loss of a relationship can be overwhelmingly sad and can make you feel as though you are depressed. Usually, however, the grief comes in waves and those experiencing grief don’t experience negative feelings about themselves that may come with depression.

Motivation - Sometimes it’s hard to do something even if it’s what we want! Talking things through with a professional can help you to discover what may be getting in the way of your goals and help to resolve any ambivalence. I use an approach called Motivational Interviewing which was developed by William Milner and Stephen Rollnick. This approach helps to develop discrepancy between your current situation, your own values and what it is you are hoping for in the future.

Life challenges such as job-loss, pregnancy, medical diagnosis, migrating to a different country, dating again after the end of a long relationship or children leaving home; these are all events that can be challenging. Talking them through with someone who isn’t a friend or relative can be really helpful and help you to get a better perspective on what it is you really want.
Life decisions - sometimes knowing what you want in life can be hard. Exploring the pro’s and cons of a situation and talking them through with someone who has no agenda can be really helpful.

Stress is the body’s natural response to danger. In times past it helped us to survive and helped us to decide whether to ‘fight or flight’. When we are under threat our body releases various hormones and our heart rate increases. In small doses, these hormones can be good – they help us to stay focussed in a meeting or perform well in a job interview. The trouble starts when you feel constantly under threat and your body finds it hard to shut down the ‘fight or flight’ response’. It can cause stomach problems, lowered immunity, as well as increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes. It can also aggravate pre-existing health conditions. Over-reacting to small problems, feeling overwhelmed, irritability and moodiness, negative thinking and finding it hard to concentrate can all be symptoms of stress.