What happens on a First Contact therapy Session?

The first contact, sometimes called an assessment session, a consultation or even a contracting session is the opportunity to explore any issues that could affect the therapeutic relationship as well as any personal needs that you have for counseling.

Are my sessions Confidential?

Most of what you discuss is confidential between you and the counsellor or psychotherapist. There can be certain legal exceptions and you and the practitioner should clarify this prior to any business or agreement for working together. This usually means any major concerns about self-harm or suicide, current child abuse or terrorist information, by law many professionals have to disclose this.

Do your research, find counselors in the area in which you wish to be seen, get in touch with them, preferably by phone so you can hear their voice and get a general idea about them. Ask them questions like;

What time the sessions will be?

Where will they take place?

How much do the sessions cost?

How long are the sessions?

Are there any charges for cancelled appointments and holidays?

You may also wish to enquire about the counsellor or psychotherapist’s professional membership, experience and training. During this time you will build up an idea of what is involved and you will be able to make up your mind if this is a person you can work with. It is a general rule important to be clear about what you want and what the practitioner is able to offer, although often people just need to talk things through with a professional and as a result of this can make significant changes.
What do they specialize in?

What are there qualifications?

What is their registration number so that you can verify them?
After you have finished on the phone you may wish to ask yourself some of the questions below:-

1. Did I feel respected?

2. Was I allowed to talk without interruption or contradiction?

3. Were they Genuine, warm and accepting?

4. Is this someone I feel I can trust?

Remember it is your decision as to whom you appoint. You can always change your mind if you find that the therapist you have initially chosen is not suitable, as long as you are honest and declare your un-certainty at your assessment or contracting session or at any time during your sessions.

Having confidence in your therapist is crucial and will enable you to get the best out of your therapy sessions.

Let me know if this was helpful?

Dawn Pugh Expert therapist.

Is the Definition of Teenage Parents  – “Babies having Babies” ?

AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Teen …

Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush’s evangelically-driven education policy, according to a new report by the US’s …

Teen Pregnancy: The Tangled Web

Cold statistics say very little about how to address the complex global problem of teenage pregnancy. What are the issues, and what role do adults need to play in resolving them?

Opinion Matters: What Can We Do About Teenage Pregnancy?

I won’t bore you with the details of how much their chance for success dwindles once a teenage pregnancy gets into the mix. And seriously, most of our teens are NOT going to give those kids up for adoption. …

Act Now To Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Urge Congress to support comprehensive sex education in public schools via the REAL Act.

Sex Education and Teenage Pregnancies – PK Forum Community

The teenage pregnancies and the sheer madness of sex education teaches nothing about morality. A fifteen years girl has a child from a thirteen year.

Feel free to submit a comment, you can remain anonymous if you wish to.

Dawn Pugh Therapy expert.

Is your nervous system sympathetic?

Some current research on rheumatology which shows that fibromyalgia is a group of symptoms related to “sympathetic hyperactivity”

By means of portable recorders the group of patients with fibromyalgia gathered information about their heart activity.

They all had their heartbeat monitored for 24 hours while they followed their routine daily activities. They found that patients with fibromyalgia have relentless hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

The results showed a little chicken and egg conundrum.

Is it your emotional body first (putting the nervous system on chronic high alert) or does a physical injury cause the sympathetic nervous system to work improperly, which leads to the focus on negative emotions?

Rather than attempting to “mask” the symptoms with painkillers, there is a long term plan to correct “blockages” in the physical body which have temporarily turned off the mechanism it needs for self-healing. The physical body has an INNATE ability for self correcting, as long as the “wiring” is correct.

Read more

Source: Wellsphere.

How Chiropractic Works Subluxation, Austin Chiropractor

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Parasympathetic nervous system

The parasympathetic nervous system is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The ANS is subdivided into the sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric (bowels) nervous system (ENS). …

Question about the Nervous System

I am curious what are a few (or several) asanas to balance an overactive sympathetic nervous system, and for excessive para-sympathetic system? Also, what are some of the functions of the inhalation and exhalations while doing the …

And now for some light entertainment…Enjoy!!

Eddie Izzard talks about chiropractors

Exploring your views on underage sex and teenage pregnancies; Pregnant teenage statistics are increasing the world over, so how do we deal with the pregnancy rates? How do we prevent pregnancy in our teens?

This particular post is mostly form the perception of parents of the son (perspective father)

So your son drops the bombshell!! What do you do? Who and Where do you turn to? How do you help your son? What are your responsibilities and those of your son?

No doubt you are feeling very upset and disappointed. What is often considered a joyful event is nearly impossible to be celebrated under these circumstances.

The uncertainty of what will happen next is likely at the forefront of your mind. How this will affect you and your family is a scary thought.

The decision of whether or not the pregnant teen chooses to maintain the pregnancy, keep the baby or place it for adoption is, in most cases, entirely up to the teen mother.

She does not need permission from her parents or the teen father to have an abortion or to choose to parent.

As the parent of this young man, he needs you now more than ever.

Keep communication between both families open and amicable is imperative; it is an essential requirement whilst the future of the pregnancy, baby and teens are being decided.

He may want something different with regards to the pregnancy than the teen mother or the parents. His friends are telling him one thing and his heart may be telling him another.

It is very important for you to set aside your own feelings and help him to talk it out and make better choices going forward.

Statutory rape is an issue if one party is older than 18. However, very few cases are brought to the attention of the District Attorney unless the adult involved has a criminal record or a date rape has occurred.

You, as his parent, are not financially responsible for the pregnancy or baby. Once your son is 18 years old, he will be legally responsible for paying child support.
Regardless of whether or not he wants the girl to keep the baby, he should take financial responsibility as soon as he is able.

If he chooses to avoid it, he could risk future visitation or custody since he did not show a financial commitment for his child early on. Of course, it is also the right thing to do – support the child.

Both families need to establish guidelines during the pregnancy (i.e. attending doctor’s appointments) and a reasonable visitation schedule that will enable your son and your family the opportunity to bond with his baby.

All in all try to be as rational and reasonable as possible for all parties.

Source: VillageNews

I hope this information was helpful to you.

Dawn Pugh expert therapist.

Mediation helps couples to take control of their situation and sort out practical matters in an open , safe and somewhat co-operative environment.

Mediation can help couples establish a settlement and could  alleviate costly legal expenditures. Most importantly it gives priority to children divorce.

Divorce Mediation New York – TABLE OF CONTENTS : Divorve Mediation

TABLE OF CONTENTSVoluntary Mediation in Divorce Disputes as a European Principle .. 178 4. European Union Viewpoints regarding Mediation in Divorce Disputes ..

NJ Divorce mediation

Free Mediation is often set down by a court , the finding of this service is normally directed by the court b.

Mediation Conversations: Taxes and Divorce | Equitable Mediation …

For those of you contemplating a divorce in New Jersey, you will want to learn more about the equitable distribution of marital assets and liabilities and how.

Divorce From a Different Angle – WomenEntrepreneur.com

Stewart made sure she had the training and experience she needed before she started Fairway Divorce. She became a certified divorce financial analyst and earned a designation as a financial mediator. “Over the course of a couple of …

NJ Family Law & Divorce Mediation: The Basis for Alimony

A common topic which arises during divorce mediation sessions and divorce support group meetings is the nature of alimony. Those individuals which are likely to be the payer don’t feel they deserve the obligation of continued support to …

Was this helpful? And whats with New Jersey?

Dawn Pugh. Therapy Expert

What impact can Sibling Rivalry have on us? Do you have a brother or sister that exhibits jealousy? or maybe you feel jealous toward them. Lets examine this rivalry.

sibling rivalry

It’s nice to see the kids having fun together. I noticed that the way they behave when they are together have changed abit. When Aidan is upset, Ashley will actually try to make Aidan happy by making funny faces at him until that cry of …

How to Handle Sibling Rivalry By Christina Taylor At Isnare.com …

Title: How to Handle Sibling Rivalry, Category: Parenting, Author: Christina Taylor, PubDate: 2009-07-08.

Walrus Magazine » Sibling Rivalry and Growing Up » by Georgie Binks

Canada’s best magazine, covering Politics, Environment, Arts, Culture, Sports & more… The Walrus Magazine (subscription, free trial) publishes the finest essays on Environmental Issues, Canadian politics, & more…

Women Living Well Blog: One Way to Resolve Sibling Rivalry

Since the beginning of time there has been sibling rivalry. In Genesis consider the first two brothers – Cain hated his brother so badly he killed Abel! Then there was Jacob and Esau – twins fighting over birth rights. …

Get Parenting Help Now Blog: Parenting Help for Sibling Rivalry

When I surveyed parents about what parenting challenges they’d like me to address in my upcoming parenting talk show the number one topic was sibling rivalry. There was never a doubt that I would try to interview Adele Faber and…

Let me know did this information affected you?

Dawn Pugh Psychotherapist

Can we teach the ability to Stop Bullying and Teasing and Name calling?

“Dare we declare that teasing, arguing and even fighting are normal and necessary parts of childhood, or that the official anti-bullying and anti-abuse crusades are dangerous barriers to social development?”

sp!ked review of books | Bully for childhood

But when did you hear anybody dare to declare that teasing, arguing and even fighting are normal and necessary parts of childhood, or that the official anti-bullying and anti-abuse crusades are dangerous barriers to social development? …

Three Degrees of Freedom: Bully for You

So much so, that the very authorities who are given the task of checking out genuine cases of abuse and turn their backs and walk away, are in a furore of righteous vigour about the rights of children to be ‘safe. …

With Bullying, Suicide Risk for Victims and Tormentors – Well Blog …

I do know one thing, I believe that bullying does amplify suicidal tendencies as the victim can no longer cope and just wants out, why as bully would feel more suicidal than the victim of their abuse, I don’t quite understand. …

And finally…

Bullied to death: They committed suicide because of bullying

Are They Compulsive Lying or Could They Be a Pathological liar?  So is there a difference?  And if so what is the difference between a pathological liar and someone who is a compulsive liar.

Pathological Liar:  A pathological liar is usually defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others.

Compulsive lying: A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions.

Find out the truth about deceptions

Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog: Pathological lying: is it a …

Although pathological liars may have co-existing psychiatric disorders, there are also pathological liars that have no psychiatric conditions. Thus pathological lying remains poorly understood and researched. …

Why Lie?

Compulsive liars are developed during early childhood in an environment where lying was seen as necessary. Unlike pathological liars, compulsive liars are not seen as manipulative or cunning as they merely lie out of habit. …

Pathological Liars

Does anyone know one? Close family member maybe? How do you get someone like this to believe they ar…

Identifying a Liar

Some pathological liars need constant attention and they get it by telling stories that thrill and delight. Although there is a chance that the stories are true, if the person telling them constantly has stories of this nature, …

Pants On Fire

I have had the opportunity to know two pathological liars in my life. Both of them had several things in common. They were both very self-assured and arrogant. They had a bravado that they were better than everyone else and nobody could …

Take the lie detection test NOW!!

There will be more on this subject.

Let us know how this information affected you?

Dawn Pugh Psychotherapist.

The Truth about  ECT Electroconvulsive Therapy; Electroconvulsive Therapy was first introduced in the 1930s and was used as a treatment for depression extensively throughout 1940s and 1950s;
Even today an estimated 1 million people worldwide receive ECT every year, usually in a course of 6-12 treatments, 2 or 3 times a week.

Electroconvulsive therapy can differ on application in 3 ways;

Electrode placement,

Length of time that the stimulus is given,

Property of the stimulus

The official figures on the use of controversial electric shock treatment show that hundreds of people were treated against their will.

A quarter of ECT patients were formally detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The figures show 2,800 patients received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) over a three month period from January to March 1999.

There were 900 male patients receiving treatment, compared with 1,900 female patients.

Of the 700 ECT patients formally detained whilst receiving ECT treatment, 59% did not consent to treatment.

The last Department of Health figures were issued in 1991.

Mental health campaigners say that:
“No-one really knows how it works and what its long-term effects are”.

A spokeswoman said:
“It is so risky and severe. The side effects can be very severe, including short- or long-term memory loss, coma and possibly death.”

Mental Health Campaigners hope these statistics help towards banning the use of ECT without consent and a total ban on its use for people under 16.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists have expressed concern about the way the treatment is administered. In a recent report, it stated that ECT could be administered by poorly trained junior doctors with out-of-date equipment and often left unsupervised.

I personally have seen both sides of the outcome – Patients whose lives have been transformed and their depression lifted and quality of life resumed and of course those that are quite literally worse as a result, suffering with memory loss, nervous twitches and adhedonistic attitudes.

So Again. Let me ask if any of you have had any experience with Electroconvulsive Therapy either as a therapist or as a patient.

Please share them with us all…We are interested and we are listening.

Dawn Pugh Psychotherapist.

Discover How New Tests Could Help  Depression; A collection of new tests and studies comprising of;

Deep Brain Stimulation” or DBS. Which basically is electrical stimulation.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. This is a magnetic stimulation.

A new study by Dr. John O’Reardon from the University of Pennsylvania is evaluating a surgical procedure that could change depression as we know it. Helping  people who  suffer from severe depression and do not respond to prescription drug treatments.
The new treatment, named “Deep Brain Stimulation” or DBS. It has been studied for its effectiveness with treatment-resistant depression.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been used successful in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, and could provide relief for people with severe depression.
These preliminary studies indicate that about 60% of patients showed improvement after receiving DBS for their depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation involves the use of electromagnetic coils around the brain.
People who have pacemakers or other metal implants in the brain are obviously excluded from the trials. So are pregnant females because of the unknown effects that the magnetic field can have on the  unborn. Also, individuals who are at high-risk for seizures are excluded.
The side effects can be headaches and the whole process can be quite noisy due to the machinery used.

Reclaim Deep Brain Stimulation Clinical Study for Treatment …

Condition: Depression Interventions: Device: Reclaim™ DBS System; Device: Reclaim™ DBS System Sponsor: MedtronicNeuro Not yet recruiting – verified February 2009.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression | EmpowHer …

In the last decade, there have been some advances in treatment for a variety of neurological disorders, like Parkinson’s disease, with deep brain stimulation. Essentially the technique involves inserting very thin electrodes into …

First patients implanted in study evaluating deep brain …

“We are excited to be part of the first double-blind study of Deep Brain Stimulation for depression and remain hopeful that this therapy may prove beneficial for this seriously ill patient population,” said Anthony D’Agostino, M.D., …

Let me know if any of you have any experience with “Deep Brain stimulation” or “Transcranial Magnetic stimulation” either as a therapist or as a patient?

I think all of these were based on the findings of Electric Shock Treatment. A treatment which was used widely in 30′s, 40′s and 50′s. I will discuss this at length in another post.

Dawn Pugh Psychotherapist.