Psychological Therapy is More Important Than You Think

A child’s development is incomplete without play. Why? Because it allows them to be creative and make friends while also ensuring their cognitive development. Enabling children to express thoughts, feelings and experiences, play is an integral part of development where the little ones can survive even when they hardly have the words or the confidence to say out loud. Did you know? Kids too have social anxieties and special educational needs, which can be resolved with the help of play – a safe and constructive way to develop essential skills. Thus, child therapy is ideal in order to help your little ones grow better by overcoming their anxiety issues. Let’s break this therapy into pieces – Cognitive Development As you must have noticed, children are always thinking and learning. With the help of spaces and objects, kids take in brand new information about people and the world that revolves around them. Every little thing they come across teaches them to make decisions, enhance mem...

Therapy is an important part of healing from depression and many other mental troubles. Now there are two types of therapies – one-on-one and group. Here, let’s find out how group therapy is beneficial for mental health treatment – Group therapy provides support - Hearing about other people’s problems helps you understand that you’re not the only one having challenges facing the world. Whether you're grappling with panic attacks, depression or another mental health issue, therapy comes as a sense of relief, especially group therapy. Group therapy lets you be heard - When you are a part of a group therapy session, you feel heard and because you are allowed to portray your life events and situations in your point of view without being judged. Also, you get to hear from other people about how you come across, which is a very powerful factor in terms of healing. Group therapy gives you a wide range of perspectives on your situation, and this can help you deal with your problems in...

Group therapy is one of the forms of psychotherapy that involves working with one or more therapists in a group setting. This can take place at a hospital, a clinic, or any other private space set up by the therapist. Group therapy is often used in a comprehensive way along with individual therapy. Initially, the idea of sharing your most personal stuff in a group setting seems daunting. However, with time the individuals understand the purpose behind group therapy and why their therapist recommended the same. Therapists often have a very tactical approach to group sessions and always have their agenda sorted before the session. They conduct certain activities that help individual’s warm-up to each other and the therapist. They also take note of the actions, answers, and reactions during the activity and then address them individually.    Benefits of group therapy -   1.      Group therapy helps individuals feel like they belong.  The gro...

Depending on your concerns and your problems, your therapist may suggest group therapy. Often, group therapy is prescribed along with other forms of therapy like individual therapy. The sound of group therapy may sound daunting and the idea of talking to a group of people about your problems may sound ridiculous in the beginning. However, it is not. Group therapy is often set up for specific purposes or to address one single concern like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. When you meet someone, who is a total stranger and is yet experiencing the same or similar problem, you feel validated and that you are not alone. Groups are made according to the nature of problems, age, etc. A therapist for teens undertakes group therapy sessions for problems faced by teens like bullying. If you are thinking support groups are the same as group therapy, then you are wrong. While these support and self-help groups are also made with the purpose of listening to one another and sharing ...

Emails, meetings, Con calls, Presentations, Conferences… They seem to get a little overbearing at times, but we have still left out the largest demon of the workplace – DEADLINES. So, as you are busy checking all of the accumulated emails, you realize that even a 24-hour day will not be enough to finish off everything that is on your plate. You just shut out that senior telling you about something new that is due by the end of the day. You are starting to zone out and almost believe that there is no way you’re going to be able to finish the day’s work. The anxiety of not meeting deadlines further decreases your efficiency and you start feeling the pressure, building on. Eventually, you keep beating yourself down for not completing your work and start doubting your self-worth. All of this adversely affects your performance which in turn leads to feeling dejected. It is a vicious cycle. Once you fall trap to it there is no getting out, which is why organizations should start thinking ...

Often, support groups and group counseling are used interchangeably. While the fact that these two activities are even being talked about is a huge deal in today’s world, it is worth noting that they are not the same. In fact, apart from they are being technically different, they are also meant for different kinds of people. So, group therapy or support groups? What is ideal for you? To answer this, first let’s understand what they both mean. A support group, simply put, is where a group of people come together to discuss and share their trauma or struggles. Now, owing to pop culture, you are probably the most familiar with support groups for addiction, however, support groups exist for all kinds of things and issues. Right from alcoholism to divorce loss of a loved one, support groups offer a safe space for people going through different kinds of pain. Group counseling, on the other hand, is about more than just support. Although it is similar to support groups in the sense th...

The idea of going for group therapy might sound a bit daunting at first. After all, who wants to sit with a bunch of strangers and share their deepest and darkest secrets? But it has been proven time and again that group therapy activities help people recover from serious mental health problems, just like any other form of therapy would. In fact, some participants are often surprised by how their experience turns out to be. It is worth noting that group therapy is as good as the group you are in. Anyone can benefit from this form of therapy, as long as you are in the right group at the right time. The right time mentioned here is not the timeline of a group, but in fact the person’s recovery timeline. Joining a group during acute crisis may not be the wisest thing to do since the person’s needs are far more demanding and deserve extra attention of a dedicated therapist. How group therapy works is that groups usually meet once a week, maybe twice sometimes, for about 90 minutes. ...

Attending group therapy at first can be very intimidating and challenging – especially for somebody who is undergoing mental health problems and is anyway embarrassed of their condition and doesn't want to be the centre of attention. Here are some group therapy activities that a therapist uses during group therapy which are simple and very effective. Reading about these might ease your experience as you may anticipate what is coming and it may relax you in, or it may help you ease somebody’s else's anxiety who you know is attending group therapy.  1.      The therapist might ask you what causes you to abuse substances. They may try to do this to understand your triggers. They may also ask you what kind of coping strategies you use to beat these triggers and what you are hoping to achieve through group therapy .  2.     The therapist may try to understand if certain words, phrases or parts of language influence your thoughts and are ass...

Counselling psychologists are mental health professionals that specialize in counselling and deal with crisis management for patients suffering from mental health problems, behavioural disorders and other problems like stress, anxiety, PTSD, marital problems, etc. The primary role of a counselling psychologist is to offer consultation facilities and individualized psychological treatment as well as indulge their patients in individual counselling sessions as well as group therapy activities . Here are a few specific treatment roles that a counselling psychologist plays: Marital Counselling/Relationship Counselling A counselling psychologist plays the role of a relationship advisor for couples who are facing problems in their relationship. A counselling psychologist may help individuals who are experiencing difficulties with their family, marriage, children, fiancé, boyfriend/girlfriend or parents. This encompasses teaching the patient/client how to communicate well and resolv...

In general, we as Indians are yet not evolved enough to fully grasp the power of therapy. In fact, we continue to look at all kinds of mental health issues with suspicion and skepticism. Unless a person has been diagnosed with a serious mental health issue, very often we don’t even consider it to be a problem. A condition that is most often overlooked in this way, is depression. We have a very harmful habit of mentally confusing depression as a mental health condition with simply being or feeling depressed. We all feel low or down from time to time and this is extremely common. However, there is a vast distinction between feeling low and undergoing depression. Depression is a persistent condition that can adversely affect an individual and it’s only through therapy, support groups and group therapy activities can a solution be found. Let’s dive a bit deeper into the idea of depression counselling. Depression counselling in Mumbai is all about leading a better life. Many people...

Depression is a serious condition that is often overlooked by people. Friends and family tend to often view it as just a negative frame of mind that can be overcome through persistence and positivity. Things can get almost toxic at times with people almost making you feel guilty for not being happy and cheerful about your life. The reality is that depression is a difficult battle which needs to be addressed every day. While therapy plays a key role in battling depression, let's dive deeper into the concept of group therapy activities and how they can help you emerge as a happier individual. Depression as a condition is very isolating. Your first and strongest impulse is to avoid human contact. There are days when you might not even feel like getting out of bed, forget talking to anyone. Over time, this situation builds up to the point where people become forced loners, miserable in their loneliness and yet powerless to do anything about it. All of this is compounded by the ...

Psychology and therapy are terms that are largely misunderstood in a country like India. We just look at psychiatrists, therapists and psychologists as doctors who treat people with serious mental illnesses and nothing more. The concept of mental wellness does not even occur to us and us as a society need to evolve to the point where we realize the potential of mental health efforts. To this end, let's spend some time exploring the different roles a psychologist plays during their everyday work, be it as a relationship  adviser  or a therapist.  The main role of a therapist is not just to be a doctor who cures illnesses but also someone who identifies symptoms long before they develop into medical conditions. In other terms, they need to play the role of a watch guard, somebody who works closely with people undergoing stresses in their lives to help them understand their mental condition and help them from preventing further issues. When it comes to things like gro...