Recalling Good Times May Reduce Depression

http://inthenews.springhillgroupcounselling.com/2013/02/28/recalling-good-times-may-reduce-depression/ 


There is a new strategy that was discovered to improve mood for the ”depress”, it is easier and costs nothing.  This is easy just the recollection of positive day-to-day experiences.  This can work for those who are not suffering from depression as well.  I’m sure this will change anyone’s mood.

Researchers suggest that recalling actual, detailed memories that are positive or self-affirming can help to improve the mood of people with a history of depression.

Sad to say, for people who suffer from depression, this kind of vivid memory for everyday events seems crippled by the victims.

In the new study, Tim Dalgleish, Ph.D., of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and colleagues hypothesized that a well-known method used to enhance memory — known as the “method-of-loci” strategy — might help depressed patients to recall positive memories with greater ease.

The method-of-loci strategy consists of connecting vivid memories with physical objects or locations.  An example of which are buildings you see on your commute to work every day. To bring to mindall the memories, you just have to imagine going through your commute.

An article published in Clinical Psychological Science the study is further discussed.  In the study, depressed patients were asked to come up with 15 positive memories.

The method-of-loci strategy was used by one group to create associations with their memories and the other group was asked to use a simple “rehearsal” strategy, grouping memories based on their similarities.

The participants were asked to recollect as many of their 15 positive memories as they could after working on the techniques.

Both groups were able to recall nearly all of the 15 memories.  Although the method were equally effective after the initial memory test conducted in the lab, the strategies were not equally effective in the long run.

A surprise call was made by the researchers after a week when they are already at their own homes.  They then asked them to recall the 15 memories once again and the group who used the method-of-loci passed with flying colors while those who used the rehearsal technique did not do the same as the other group.

This made a conclusion and the researchers believe these findings suggest that using the method-of-loci technique to associate vivid, positive memories with physical objects or locations may make it easier for depressed individuals to recall those positive memories.

Recalling and focusing on positive memories, rather than negative projections, may help individuals elevate their mood in the long run.  And also for all of us this may help brighten each day so you may have a great day ahead!

Counseling for Trauma Victims

http://springhillgroupcounselling.com/2013/01/09/counseling-for-trauma-victims/

Trauma is defined as “severe emotional shock and pain caused by an extremely upsetting experience” (The Cambridge Dictionary).  But trauma is also an extremely subjective experience because what may be traumatic for one person may barely affect another.

Generally speaking, when someone experience excessive stress that overwhelms ones emotional or physical ability to cope, this is being referred to as trauma.  Emotional trauma can be experienced by anyone even without the physical trauma but the two sometimes are often go hand-in-hand.  An example of this is when the wounds from physical trauma like the loss of a limb or a gunshot wound, while an obvious shock to the body, will eventually heal.  While all the emotional wounds and repercussions of the actual traumatic event are left to the person.

Symptoms of trauma 

Symptoms of trauma can vary from person to person.  A traumatized individual may suffer from one or several of the following symptoms. (list not complete)

• upsetting memories such as images, thoughts or flashbacks
• nightmares
• insomnia
• re-experience the trauma mentally and physically
• emotional detatchment (known as dissociation)
• individuals may turn to alcohol and/or drugs
• stress/anxiety disorders
• panic attacks
• anger
• despair
• depression
• loss of self-esteem.

Causes of trauma

• abuse
• violence
• threat of abuse or violence
• witnessing of abuse or violence
• catastrophic events (war, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes etc)
• witnessing/being involved in an attack
• accidents (e.g a car crash or explosion’
• divorce
• job loss
• death
• mugging
• armed robbery
• rape
• car accident
• illness
• failing an exam
• losing valuable things

Trauma like any other illness can be cured.  When someone suffered from a traumatic experience, he/she can undergo trauma counseling.  Trauma counseling is appropriate for people who experienced traumatic incident.  In fact any event, whether shallow or horrible events can traumatized a person, anything that a person regard as negative and that changes his view or himself or the world.

Trauma counseling will help you in identifying and coming to terms with the feelings and emotions you may feel during and after a traumatic experience.  And because people handle trauma in various ways these emotions will also vary from individual to individual, but the most commonly experienced emotions are anger and fear.

Here are some ways the trauma counselor may use to achieve your healing process

• Listening to what you are saying (and not saying)
• Supporting your coping mechanisms
• Exploring with you, and validating, your feelings and emotions
• Supporting you to make sense of the incident
• Preventing the use of suppression as a defense
• Integrating the event meaningfully into your life

To get your life back on track and to move you from being a victim to being a victor, you must admit to yourself first that you need help.  This doesn’t mean that you are going crazy or that you are weak.  Everyone deserves healing.

How to Know if Depress During and After Pregnancy

http://inthenews.springhillgroupcounselling.com/2012/12/17/how-to-know-if-depress-during-and-after-pregnancy/


Depression is actually the most common complication during and after pregnancy although exact number of women that suffers from this is unknown.  Perinatal depression, it is the depression that occurs during pregnancy or within a year after delivery.



You may not recognize depression because some normal pregnancy changes cause similar symptoms and are happening at the same time that is exactly why it was not treated.  Tiredness, problems sleeping, stronger emotional reactions, and changes in body weight may occur during pregnancy and after pregnancy and these are also symptoms of depression.  For a lot of women, joyfully anticipated pregnancy and motherhood bring depression as an unexpected accompaniment.  Depression is not only risky for mothers but for their children as well.  During pregnancy, depression may result in poor prenatal care, premature delivery, low birth weight, and, just possibly, depression in the child.  Depression after childbirth aka postpartum depression can lead to child neglect, family breakdown, and suicide.  A depressed mother may fail to bond emotionally with her newborn, raising the child’s risk of later cognitive delays and emotional and behavior problems.



If the depression is detected soon enough, help is available for mother and child.

Signs of depression during pregnancy:

History of depression or substance abuse
Family history of mental illness
Little support from family and friends
Anxiety about the fetus
Problems with previous pregnancy or birth
Marital or financial problems
Young age (of mother)
Signs of postpartum depression or after giving birth:

Feeling restless or irritable
Feeling sad, hopeless, and overwhelmed
Crying a lot
Having no energy or motivation
Eating too little or too much
Sleeping too little or too much
Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions
Feeling worthless and guilty
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities
Withdrawal from friends and family
Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart beating fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing)
After pregnancy, signs of depression may also include being afraid of hurting the baby or oneself and not having any interest in the baby.
Postpartum psychosis (seye-KOH-suhss) is rare and is need to be treated by the doctor.  It occurs in about 1 to 4 out of every 1,000 births.  It usually begins in the first 2 weeks after childbirth.  Women who have bipolar disorder or another mental health problem called schizoaffective (SKIT-soh-uh-FEK-tiv) disorder have a higher risk for postpartum psychosis. Symptoms include:

Seeing things that aren’t there
Feeling confused
Having rapid mood swings
Trying to hurt yourself or your baby


The problem with some women is that they do not tell anyone about their condition because they embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about feeling depressed when they are supposed to be happy.  They may think that they will be judge as unfit parents, bad and not together mom but this can happen to any mothers.  Remember that your child is also at risk.  Seek for help.

Springhill Group Counselling: Counseling and Psychotherapy for Married Couples

http://springhillgroupcounselling.com/2012/11/13/counseling-and-psychotherapy-for-married-couples/

Let us understand first the difference of counseling and psychotherapy.  These two are terms that are often used interchangeably.  Even if that is the case, they are very similar yet there are subtle differences as well. Counselor meaning advisor-- a relationship of the psychotherapist to the patient.  It involves two people working together to solve a specific problem.   Psychotherapy on the other hand speaks to a general term that involves longer term of treatment which focuses more on gaining insight in to chronic physical and emotional problems.  It focuses onto the patient’s thought processes and way of being in the world rather than specific problem.

Many couples struggle with their relationship that leads to divorce and broken families.  Just like any case, marital problems may also be solved by counseling.  Marriage counseling a.k.a couples therapy; is a type of psychotherapy.  Couples of all types may undergo therapy; it resolves conflicts and improves relationships.  Marriage counselor will always be rational towards things, she will not recommend you to separate your ways or force you to fix your relationship but rather help you to realize the problem and will advice you options to solve them which can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding your relationship or go your separate ways.
Not everyone can be a therapist just because they are good in giving advises.  Marriage counselors are provided by licensed therapists who are graduates or postgraduate degrees.

Married couples undergo therapy to strengthen their relationships.  Marriage counseling is not just for married couples; in fact it is advisable to have a pre-marriage counseling before getting married.  This aims to achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before their married life starts.

It is always better to have a joint therapy; in this case you will both learn ways to solidify your relationship together.  It is a start of communicating openly, solving problems together and discussing differences rationally. You will analyze the bad and the good parts of the relationship as you both pinpoint the problems and better understand the basis of your conflicts.  Whatever it is that you are struggling with you can openly discuss it to your therapist. E.g:

• Communication problem
• Sexual difficulties
• Conflicts about child rearing or blended families
• Substance abuse
• Financial problems
• Anger
• Infidelity
• Divorce

Although marriage counseling might also help in domestic abuse it is more advisable to seek help from crisis centers, police or local shelter.

How to find a good therapist is a good question.  Here are tips on whom to go and seek advice from:
• It is necessary to know the therapist’s education and experience, her educational and training background.  More especially if she is licensed.  You must provide a postgraduate therapist that will conduct your counseling.
• Where is her office and what is is her office hours.  Will she be available in case of emergency?
• Treatment plan. Scheduling.  You must work this out, joint counseling is always better.  More especially therapist must always be approachable.
• Fees and insurance.  Talk about the terms, it is always better to have it sorted out from the start for no further conflicts.

Talking about your problems might not be easy, sharing your like to a stranger will be hard but consider the things that a counselor can do for your marriage to work.  It will always be worth it.

Confirmed in the hearts and minds of his people | Inquirer Opinion

http://opinion.inquirer.net/35560/confirmed-in-the-hearts-and-minds-of-his-people

Except FOR a brief encounter at the Naia 3 terminal while waiting to board a flight for Bohol, I would have never met Secretary Jesse Robredo. He was a complete stranger although I knew him as a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service for his work as mayor of Naga City.

Going through my previous columns on such diverse topics as the rights and privileges of senior citizens and the Luneta hostage crisis, I realize that I had made some comments and observations about Robredo that defined my impressions—not always positive—of the man.

Just a few years ago, senior citizens were experiencing difficulties in the implementation of the Senior Citizens Law. There were lots of complaints concerning business establishments, particularly drug stores and restaurants, many of whom were deciding for themselves how the law should be interpreted. Very often, senior citizens  had no choice but to accept whatever was their version of the law. A case in point was the use of credit cards by senior citizens. Some establishments refused to grant senior citizens discount unless payment was made in cash.

Five years ago, I received a letter from a senior citizen of Naga City. He related how a KFC outlet in downtown Naga refused to grant him any senior citizen discount for a take-out order he made consisting of “a single chicken meal with coleslaw salad.” According to the waiter, the senior citizen discount was not being honored for take-out orders, citing the practice as a nationwide KFC policy.

The senior citizen then filed a formal complaint with the mayor’s office. The city legal officer in his recommendation to Mayor Jesse Robredo, called for a liberal interpretation of the law, particularly when social legislation enactments were concerned. In this particular case, he believed the law should be interpreted on the side of the beneficiary who happened to be a senior citizen.

Mayor Robredo ordered the filing of a criminal case against the KFC outlet for violation of the Expanded Senior Citizens Law. This singular act of Mayor Robredo led me to revisit the citation of the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation when it bestowed on him in 2000 the Award for Government Service.

Let me refresh our memories. It will help us understand the generous outpouring of affection and sadness that have overcome the nation since he left us a few days ago.

Parts of the citation read: “It is sad but true. Democratic government is not necessarily good government. Too often elections yield power to the few, not the many. Injustices linger beneath the rhetoric of equality. Corruption and incompetence go on and on. Voters, alas, do not always choose wisely. And yet, in Asia and the world at large, much is at risk when democracy founders because democracy is the hope of so many. Jesse Manalastas Robredo entered Philippine politics when hope was high. As Mayor of Naga City from 1988 to 1998, he demonstrated that democratic government can also be good government. . .

“Once the queen city of the Bicol Region, Naga in 1989 was a dispirited provincial town of 120,000 souls.  Traffic clogged its tawdry business district and vice syndicates operated at will. City services were fitful at best. Meanwhile, thousands of squatters filled Naga’s vacant lands, despite the dearth of jobs in the city’s stagnant economy. Indeed, Naga’s revenues were so low that it had been downgraded officially from a first-class to a third-class city.

“Robredo began with a strike against patronage. He introduced a merit-based system of hiring and promotion, and reorganized city employees on the basis of aptitude and competence. He then moved against local vice lords, ridding Naga of gambling and smut. Next, he relocated the bus and jeepney terminals outside the city center, ending gridlock and spurring new enterprises at the city’s edge. Public revenues rose and by 1990, Naga was a first-class city again.

“Robredo raised performance, productivity and morale among city employees as a culture of excellence overtook the culture of mediocrity at City Hall, Naga’s businesses doubled and local revenues rose by 573 percent. . .

“When obliged by law to step down after his third term, the popular Robredo made no effort to entrench his family. His advice to would-be leaders? ‘You have to have credibility’.”

On such a small matter as “a single chicken meal” purchased by a senior citizen, Robredo went out of his way to put everyone on notice that his job was to uphold the rule of law. There are very few heads of local government units who would dare offend powerful and moneyed interests, knowing that come election time they risked losing this source of much-needed support. It was actions such as that taken by Jesse Robredo that pushed forward the cause of senior citizens nationwide.

* * *

A few months after President Aquino’s election, the Luneta hostage crisis took place. It was a bungled affair, resulting in a black eye for the nation. The pitiful sight of a SWAT member wearing a baseball cap turned backwards, with a pistol in hand, was a damning testimony to the incompetence of police elements involved in the crisis situation.

Secretary Robredo was head of the Department of Interior and Local Government, with supervision over the Philippine National Police. In the wake of the disastrous results, I called for his resignation, saying, “In olden times, human beings were sacrificed to appease the gods for any event that may have displeased them or brought shame to the community. This is the same principle applied by our neighbors in Japan and South Korea where ranking officials are routinely sacked for command responsibility in any national tragedy or disaster.” I added that Robredo should immediately send in a letter of resignation since there were indications of a lack of trust and confidence on the part of the appointing power. (In 1995, as a result of the Flor Contemplacion hanging in Singapore, Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo and Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor had to leave their positions.)

In the end, the President himself announced that Robredo was being kept in an acting capacity, citing “differences in style and philosophy.” The submission of his appointment for confirmation was withheld for some time.

* * *

During the last few days I have learned a lot about Jesse Robredo. Two nights of eulogies by Kaya Natin members and Liberal Party mates have provided us with a complete picture of the man.

When I met him at the Naia 3 terminal, I started to explain why I thought he should have left office after the Luneta incident. He let out with a wide smile, saying, “OK  lang. I understand.”

Ramon Magsaysay died in a plane crash. Jesse Robredo left us in the same manner. Both were young, energetic and inspirational leaders. Why do we lose so early in life the kind of men needed by our nation?

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Springhill Group Counselling believes it is significant that each of us needs to understand what counselling and psychotherapy is about and what they should anticipate from the procedure of therapy. Nurturing knowledge among community is a significant purpose for every organization.

This website has been aims to help people find out more about counselling and psychotherapy, especially those who are considering therapy as an option for themselves or someone else, or for clients who are already involved in therapy.

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Springhill Group Counselling believes it is significant that each of us needs to understand what counselling and psychotherapy is about and what they should anticipate from the procedure of therapy. Nurturing knowledge among community is a significant purpose for every organization.

This website has been aims to help people find out more about counselling and psychotherapy, especially those who are considering therapy as an option for themselves or someone else, or for clients who are already involved in therapy.

YOUSAYTOO-Springhill Group: Springhill Care Group : Fool Fridge/ Land Of Serious Topics/ Land Of Se :: Springhill Care Group ::

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Guns don’t kill people; people kill people; and people with guns kill even more people. They also save more people who would otherwise be at the mercy of the criminals. SPRINGHILL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An 85-year-old great-grandmother in Fayette County busted a would-be burglar by pulling a gun, then forcing him to call for help while she kept him in her sights.http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17232825/detail.htm… Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment. Ramey said the man told her he would leave. “I said, ‘Oh, no you won’t,’ and I shot their tires so they couldn’t leave,” Ramey said. She had to balance on her walker as she pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. “I didn’t even think twice. I just went and did it,” she said. “If they’d even dared come close to me, they’d be 6 feet under by now.”http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267540,00.html Hancock County Sheriff’s Investigator Andre Fizer said about an 84-year-old man’s decision to shoot through a house door at another man who was trying to barge into the house: “You could tell he was devastated. You could tell he was scared.” And rightfully so. Twenty-year-old Wade Ledesma made repeated attempts to break in to the house at about 5 a.m. on July 27, threatening to kill him throughout. Ledesma “tried to break through the front door and also tried to enter through a back door and a rear window of the residence. The resident called 911 andreported that the intruder was trying to force his way into the home…. [The elderly man] held himself against the door to keep [Ledesma] from entering,” reported the Sun Herald. The resident became tired from holding the door and, worded about his and his wife’s safety, asked his wife to get his pistol. He fired a shot through the door, meant to merely be a warning shot, and he hit Ledesma in the leg.http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-35461877_I… And those are just the obvious cases. A few years ago I was at a talk by a Jewish man from Poland who survived WWII because he was able to escape his home before the Nazis rounded them up and was able to get a gun from a family friend. He said that without a weapon he would not have been able to join the partisans and remain safe. He also would not have survived his first night home after the war as some of his “neighbors” knocked on the door in the middle of the night to “invite” him to join them for a party to celebrate his return. He had his rifle with him and leveled at the men during the conversation as he explained to them that he was tired and would prefer staying home…They didn’t press the matter. But he left the next day and never returned. He heard a few days later that a friend of his was not so prepared and was killed by the “neighbors”. The movie “Defiance” is yet another reminder to Jews that weapons are not something to fear, but to have handy. Finally… In 1928, five years before the rise of Hitler, Germany’s freely elected governmentenacted a “Law on Firearms and Ammunition.” This law required anyone who owned a firearm, or who wanted to own a firearm, to make themselves known to the authorities. Anyone who wanted to purchase a firearm had to get a “Firearms Acquisition Permit.” If you needed ammunition, you had to get an “Ammunition Acquisition Permit.” When you wanted to go hunting, you had to get an “Annual Hunting Permit.” Every firearm that changed hands professionally had to have a serial number and the maker’s or dealers name stamped into the metal. “Proof of need” was made a condition for issuance of all licenses, not just the carry permit. Mandatory prison sentences were imposed on anyone who professionally sold or transferred a firearm or ammunition without a license. Truncheons and stabbing weapons were subject to the same licensing requirements as firearms, in terms of their manufacture and sale. As a result of the 1928 Law, all firearms and firearms owners were registered. To take firearms from anyone they distrusted, the Nazis simply did not renew permits. Under the law, their privately created law, the Nazis could now easily confiscate all firearms and ammunition from any, or all, selected groups. The gun law of 1928 had served the Nazis well. It made almost all law abiding firearms owners known to the authorities. The 1928 law on firearms and ammunition helped the Nazis to destroy democracy in Germany, by disarming the law abiding majority, whom they feared.http://famguardian.org/Subjects/GunControl/Articles/NaziGunL… A right to bear arms is the fundamental right of every law-abiding person to acquire the means to protect themselves even from their own government. One of the first things a government does when it wants to control its citizenry is to control their access to the weapons they need to defend themselves.

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Conference on ‘Achieving Better Parenting for our Children’

November 29, 2011

‘Parenting towards Resilience’ was the main theme discussed during a conference held recently, organised by Agenzija Sedqa in collaboration with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. Ms. Sina Bugeja, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Social Welfare Services during her opening address explained that Parenting towards Resilience, was the main theme chosen by the Foundation to [...]

Spring Hill United Church of Christ to offer support group for people with HIV/AIDS

November 29, 2011

By Gail Hollenbeck, Times Correspondent In Print: Saturday, November 26, 2011 Print Email Post Republish Story Tools Comments (0) Contact the editor Email Newsletters Social Bookmarking ShareThis ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Featured Syracuse Fires Assistant Basketball Coach Fine Bucs blow late lead, lose 23-17 to Titans Rewind: Admiral Farragut heads to state semis Armwood 23, Hillsborough 0 Pasco [...]

Health Board

November 29, 2011

SYLVIA THOMPSON German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger has developed an approach to dealing with relationship problems, financial distress, addictions and career troubles that is based on the idea that self-limiting beliefs can be inherited from previous generations. Julie Williams will lead a workshop in this approach on Saturday from 10.30am-5pm in Greystones Holistic Centre, Church Road, [...]

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Springhill Group Counselling believes it is significant that each of us needs to understand what counselling and psychotherapy is about and what they should anticipate from the procedure of therapy. Nurturing knowledge among community is a significant purpose for every organization. This website has been aims to help people find out more about counselling and psychotherapy, especially those who are considering therapy as an option for themselves or someone else, or for clients who are already involved in therapy.

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SYLVIA THOMPSON German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger has developed an approach to dealing with relationship problems, financial distress, addictions and career troubles that is based on the idea that self-limiting beliefs can be inherited from previous generations. Julie Williams will lead a worksh
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HEALTH BOARD- In The News - Springhill Group Counselling

SYLVIA THOMPSON German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger has developed an approach to dealing with relationship problems, financial distress, addictions and career troubles that is based on the idea that self-limiting beliefs can be inherited from previous generations. Julie Williams will lead a worksh
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by springhillgroup | Dec 01, 2011 at 17:42