As a part of normal day-to-day living, most people feel anger a few times a week. However some people experience frequently occurring long lasting intense anger. This can result in inappropriate over reaction, verbal expression of rage and physical aggression. The lasting effects of this behaviour can be catastrophic for physical health, work life, social life and relationships. Safely getting in touch with and carefully exploring the underlying cause of rage and anger can offer the individual more control over their life in terms of anger and it’s potentially toxic effects.

Bereavement comes to all of us at some point in our lives. The effects of losing a loved one significantly impacts us in many parts of our lives. Death and loss can be difficult areas to discuss with others, many people have difficulties in being able to listen and discuss the many complexities of death and dying. Sometimes the common sympathetic responses from others leave those experiencing loss to shy away from getting in touch with and understanding loss at a deeper level, which can sometimes cause to extend and distort the grieving process. Open dialogue in a therapeutic setting can help those who are experiencing loss by lifting the stigma and taboo that those on the outside can communicate, often without realising.

Conflict between family members is a common occurrence and often occurs during times of change, stress and major life events. However some conflicts can occur with no obvious cause and may be deeply imbedded in family history and past events. Many people who grow up and leave their families expect family these issues to dissipate however often this unresolved conflicts continue to be part of their lives. Poor communication, fixed way of thinking and conflicting personalities are just some of the reasons why interpersonal relationships in families can suffer. Also lack of emotion, addictive behaviours and pride can have profound affects upon those in dysfunctional families to the point where there relationships outside the family are also compromised in some way. Unravelling and understanding family dynamics at a deeper level can allow for the consideration of different attitudes and approach to coping with difficult family relationships. This can over time alleviate and sometimes diffuse legacies of resent and bad feeling.

Sex is a part of everyone’s life in some way. The individual human experience in this respect is extremely broad in terms of difference. Some people are able to be open but the majority of people find it quite difficult to talk about sex which can in some cases lead to misunderstanding, uncertainty and dysfunction. Many people carry round concerns, problems and issues relating to sex and sexuality in an isolated way which can in some cases cause sexual problems and stress for them psychologically, physically and emotionally.

In therapy we often see that problems relating to sex and sexuality are not entirely related to sex. Past events, fixed ways of thinking and internal processes more often point to a route causes of problems. In the same way that talking about issues unrelated to sex can align with sexual manifestations. Being able to openly discuss sexual matters in a confidential non-judgemental, understanding environment can be very helpful in terms of addressing concerns, such as addiction, dysfunction, paraphillias or general worries and misconceptions about sex and sexuality.

Like all abuse psychological abuse is often extremely damaging for the victims. Although psychological abuse is highly pervasive and toxic it can sometimes be difficult to detect. Often relationships that involve psychological abuse are intertwined with more happy and normal events, which can cause to obscure and distort notions of what’s right and wrong. Victims can find themselves in a cycle of sometimes subtle abuse which can over time alter their own reality and sense of values. In more extreme cases, victims can become coercive in the abuse they suffer.

Talking through these issues with a therapist who has a clear unbiased mind can help understand exactly what is occurring. This can help establish what is psychological abuse and what is not and what can be done to address it where necessary.

The cause of low self-esteem and confidence issues can be related to many different parts of life history such poor or inconsistent parenting, bullying or isolation at school or traumatic adult experiences. As well as the above, more recently societal pressure has been blamed for the increase in those suffering from low-self esteem and confidence issues. It is part of human nature to compare oneself with others in order to gain some insight as to our place in the world.

However this type of self measure can problematic. Increasingly in the current climate, pursuit of an idealised physical and material self can cause to highlight the things that we don’t like about ourselves. With the help of open-ended therapy it is possible to gradually get in touch with our anxieties in a safe environment, learn more about who we are and in time help us value ourselves and our own individuality.

This overall heightened sense of self-awareness is a great foundation in terms of freeing ourselves from the constricting effects of low confidence.

The damaging effects of bullying can be long lasting. Being at the hands of a bully can be frightening and an often humiliating experience. Many of us will associate bullying as something that happens during our school years. However, bullying is present in many peoples lives both as children and adults. While it is a common issue at school, bullying can occur at any age. There are many types of bullying from the playground to the workplace, in relationships and online (cyberbullying).

Talking to a therapist can help the make sense of the experience of bullying. By talking and working through, a therapist can facilitate you to find ways of identifying, coping with and stopping bullying and most importantly, deal with the residue of negative emotion that victims often are left with.

Individuals who have a personality disorder often experience difficulties relating to how they think about themselves and others. This can often lead to problems making and maintaining relationships, forming authentic connections with others in work family and social settings. Also the management and control of their emotions, coping with difficult feelings and controlling behaviour and impulses can be problematic. There a variety of personality disorders and like most mental health conditions they are on a spectrum of severity.

This is where one-to-one open ended therapy can be highly useful as it addresses the individual as well as the presenting symptoms. By systematically exploring an individuals own experience of themselves and others, insight can be gained into the disorder which over time should make day to day management and treatment, easier to engage with.