Emotional eating is a common way clients in therapy cope with stress. When life becomes overwhelming, food can be a relief from uncomfortable feelings. While emotional eating can temporarily provide feelings of relief, it has long-term consequences that can impact a client’s mental health. Learning about emotional eating and healthy alternatives can help a client […]
View More
Emotional eating is a common stress reaction. Most of us may turn to food for stress relief or reward sometimes, but using food as a means to cope can hurt clients and affect their mental health. People who emotionally eat face potential consequences, including eating disorders, medical issues, and worsening anxiety and depression. It is […]
View More
Gratitude exercises can help clients in therapy cope with challenging feelings. Different conditions, including anger, depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and more cause patterns of negative thoughts. When a client learns how to practice gratitude regularly, their negative thought patterns become more balanced. They start to consider the good things happening around them, which can reduce […]
View More
Clients in therapy often struggle with living a life based on their values. As clinicians, we know that people do not always stay true to their values, which can cause us to struggle with different life challenges. A client’s self-image and ability to cope with stress is impacted when they are struggling to stay true […]
View More
Children often struggle with mental health challenges like anxiety and depression, but these struggles can be confused with behavioral issues. Kids are learning how to express themselves and how to regulate their emotions during their childhood years, so it is important to consider their emotional needs when navigating behavioral challenges. Gratitude exercises can be a […]
View More
While self-care is an important part of mental health, it can be challenging at times to maintain. Consistently keeping up with a self-care routine can help clients in therapy manage stress, reduce anxiety, and improve their mental health, so addressing obstacles with self-care can make a difference in their mental health journey. There are common […]
View More
Children can benefit from learning and practicing mindfulness skills. Mindfulness can help kids cope with uncomfortable feelings and calm their minds. It can also help with improving concentration. Mindfulness can be used as an aid in improving behavior at school and home, as well as reducing reactivity caused by stress. Mindfulness activities help children prepare […]
View More
Burning out is normal- we all burn out sometimes. It is a form of prolonged stress and is most often applied to someone who is overworked with little opportunity breaks or recovery time. The stress that leads to burnout could come from work, school, home, or in other areas of life. Over time, stress can […]
View More
A common component to a client’s experience with low self-esteem or emotional issues is poor self-image. There are many reasons that a person may have a poor self-image, but one reason that can affect a client is not being aware of or understanding the things they value in life. Being disconnected from personal values can […]
View More
Exploring values can be a rewarding experience in therapy. Everyone deals with life experiences, and similar life experiences between people can help facilitate shared life values. Sharing your values with others can help people in therapy learn about how to build strong value systems, and how those value systems can help with promoting good mental […]
View More
Managing uncomfortable feelings can be challenging at times, but it is not always so tedious when you have the right tools. Coping skills are important because they teach you what to do in the moment when you are feeling uncomfortable or triggered. Knowing how to calm yourself down can help you feel more comfortable, manage […]
View More
When working with clients who fixate on the negative it is difficult to break away from the cycles of negativity and shift focus onto good and hopeful thoughts and feelings. Therapists will often work with a client who does not acknowledge anything besides the negative in their life, which not only is detrimental to their […]
View More
Sometimes when people suffer from low self-esteem, low confidence, or mood disorders like anxiety and depression, it is easy to focus on the negative and forget about the things that they appreciate in their lives. When clients focus only on the challenging or painful parts of their life, it is hard to imagine a life […]
View More
Sometimes we get caught up in the day and forget to focus on what we are feeling. This can cause us to miss important signs of our changing mood, which can affect our ability to use healthy coping skills. When we are struggling with understanding our mood patterns it helps a great deal to have […]
View More
A pivotal part of therapy is learning coping skills. Coping skills are what a client will use to build a sense of authority over their mental health. Coping skills help clients learn how to manage their symptoms and develop healthier ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, and living. Mindfulness offers many different types of helpful coping […]
View More
Utilizing gratitude skills with clients in therapy is a great way to help them learn how to cope with stress and frustration. With all the responsibilities we have each day, it is easy to get wrapped up in the stress of the moment and miss out on the things we appreciate in this world. When […]
View More
Many clients seek therapy because they struggle with regulating their moods. They go through mood swings that may cause them to easily feel stressed. People who struggle with managing their moods can often feel overwhelmed, which makes it difficult for them to understand and manage what they are feeling throughout the week. A weekly mood […]
View More
A person’s mood can fluctuate when they are struggling with mental health issues. Some days are easier than others, and patterns of dealing with harder days can affect a person’s progress in therapy. Clients often have a pattern of how their mood affects them. Throughout the day there are certain triggers based on responsibilities, encounters, […]
View More
Anger management skills are an important part of maintaining good mental health and healthy relationships. People who struggle with anger are often struggling with other feelings, like stress, grief, and fear. In the moment, they may not realize how many other things are going on that is causing the anger, which can lead to outbursts […]
View More
A depressed mood can affect most areas of a person’s life. Sometimes depression is chronic or consistent, and sometimes it can come and go in waves. Depression can impact how a person can cope with life stressors, which is why it is important to know how to handle it in the moment. A person does […]
View More
Many people in therapy suffer from sleep issues. Whether it is stress, anxiety, depression a reaction to a medication, or insomnia, sleep issues are a common issue for people who are working on their mental health. Insomnia and sleep issues are difficult to deal with and can be symptoms of a deeper underlying issue. While […]
View More
Between sessions, clients need to practice coping skills. Worries happen each day of a person’s life, but they should not be strong enough to consume a person. That is why it is important to remember to use coping skills each day. A great way to make sure a client remembers to use coping methods to […]
View More
A major component of mental health is promoting wellness in day to day life. Without proper attention to wellness, a person can feel lost and lack direction in their life. People who struggle with wellness often struggle with anxiety, depressed mood, and trouble with stress management. Well is not a state of mind, but rather […]
View More
Anxiety is an emotion that everyone feels sometimes. Whether a person is seeking therapy for an anxiety disorder or something that is causing them to feel anxious, it is important to understand what anxiety is and how it can affect a person. Anxiety can cause many uncomfortable symptoms. It is a different experience for everyone, […]
View More
A big part of therapy is learning how to experience one’s own emotions. It can be hard to experience emotions and learn how to be comfortable with feeling them. It is not uncommon for people in therapy to struggle with identifying and embracing how they feel. This can cause them to transfer all of their […]
View More
Anger affects everyone. It is a powerful emotion that can be triggered by many different things. You may feel anger from an upsetting situation, stress or another emotion you don’t entirely understand. Sometimes, when we do not understand our anger or how it negatively affects us, it has a damaging effect on our quality of […]
View More
Awareness about your own cognitive distortions is an important part of therapy. It is a step toward correcting thinking errors. A cognitive distortion is a pattern in negative thoughts. It is an error in thinking that causes many challenges in a person’s life. Understanding cognitive distortions is a part of the process of cognitive behavioral […]
View More
It can be challenging to have a balanced and healthy perspective on life’s challenges. Clients often struggle to understand how they think and feel, and how their thoughts and feelings can affect a situation. When a client is being negatively impacted by their behavior, it is important to help them take a step back. A […]
View More
Self-image is an important part of understanding who you are as a person. Many people who seek therapy struggle because they do not have a good relationship with themselves. They do not understand who they are, and that can be for many reasons. Sometimes people are so distracted with who they want to be they […]
View More
When people are angry, they are not only angry. Their anger is a reaction to a trigger. A trigger occurs in a person’s environment, but it is fueled by much more. Feelings, thoughts, insecurities, fears and memories all contribute to a person’s anger. It is important for a client to understand this fact. Clients rarely […]
View More
Anxiety is an oppressive emotion for people to feel. People with chronic anxiety tend to suffer from cycles of anxiety, panic and avoidance. It is not uncommon for these people to not realize the cycle of anxiety they fall into, nor how the cycle affects them. In order to learn how to manage anxiety, a […]
View More
Anger can be difficult to manage. People who suffer from anger management issues often struggle to cope with their anger in a healthy way. They may engage in unhealthy behaviors, like lashing out at others or taking it out on themselves. It is important to have healthy anger management skills. Without proper anger management skills, […]
View More
Children often do not understand how to handle their anger in a healthy way. They may act out, shut down, or lash out at others. Anger can be a complicated emotion for children, so ensuring that they understand how to cope with the feeling is important. Children often need guidance for how to communicate their […]
View More
Exploring values can help a great deal in therapy. When a client understands their values, they can gain a better understanding of their goals and what they want from life. They also learn about the type of person they want to be, and how they want to behave. When a person does not have a […]
View More
A huge part of having a healthy lifestyle is having proper boundaries with yourself and the people in your life. Boundaries promote healthy relationships with others and a good sense of self-esteem. They are very important, but can sometimes be difficult to maintain. Everyone’s boundaries are different. Each person has their own unique needs and […]
View More
Everyone has stressors in their lives. When people are in therapy, different stressors can serve as triggers for different conditions. Most people in therapy will have significant triggers that can cause them to think, act and feel in ways that are not healthy for them. An important part of therapy is helping clients identify their […]
View More
When working with clients in recovery from substance use it is important for both the counselor and the client to understand where their temptations stem from. Everyone will have different moments of temptation, and it is not uncommon for a client to be confronted with temptation when they least expect it. Temptations are very difficult […]
View More
A major part of learning how to cope with stress, anxiety and other mental health disorders is to learn effective relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques are a critical part of maintaining good mental health. They are needed for different areas of your body, and without them you cannot properly cope with stress, anger and other upsetting […]
View More
Just like adults, children can have a hard time controlling their anger. They often do not understand how their anger affects them, and how it affects others. Children can struggle to learn how to process and express negative feelings like anger, so it is important to teach emotional intelligence skills to keep them grounded when […]
View More
Mindfulness is an important exercise to practice regularly. Clients must learn how to be mindful of themselves, their needs and their emotional wellness in order to ensure good mental health. Families often need mindfulness exercises to ensure their mental health and relationships as well. Family mindfulness is a great way to bring families closer together. […]
View More
Relationships can be tough, but a couple that is motivated for change and attends couples counseling has a lot of room for growth. It is not uncommon for a couple to struggle with a number of issues. Sometimes an issue that a couple can face is remembering to express gratitude for their loved one. Feeling […]
View More
Throughout the course of therapy, it is important for both the therapist and the client to have a concrete understanding of how the client is growing and developing their coping skills. Therapy is more than just talking about feelings. It is about personal growth and learning how to manage thoughts, feelings, coping skills, behaviors and […]
View More
Practicing effective self-care techniques is a very important part of mental health. Without self-care, people cannot grow and learn how to cope with the stress of their daily lives. It is particularly important to practice self-care when struggling with mental illness. This is because self-care helps to promote skills to maintain good coping strategies and […]
View More
Having healthy communication skills are important, but also challenging to develop. Some people may struggle with articulating their feelings and needs. It is common for a client to struggle with being assertive or understanding what it means to be assertive with your needs. Learning how to reflect on a situation before confronting another person can […]
View More
A huge part of successfully developing effective communication skills is understanding what it means to be assertive. Assertive communication skills are essential for clients who are learning how to express themselves effectively. When a person is assertive, they are able to make their point and perspective clear. They are able to state their needs and […]
View More
Emotions can be challenging to understand. Sometimes they have concrete reasons for being felt, and sometimes we are not sure why we are feeling a certain way. When we feel emotions we do not understand, we can struggle to understand how to cope. People who struggle to understand how to identify and cope with their […]
View More
When teaching your clients cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) skills, it is important to help them gain an understanding of common thinking errors and how they affect thoughts, feelings and behaviors. When a person has a pattern of negative thinking, it will skew the way they see and understand how they fit into a situation. This will […]
View More
It is not uncommon for a person to get stuck on the past, present or future. Each frame of time is important to consider when planning goals or the best way to move forward with life. When a person focus too much on the past they can get stuck because they don’t know how to […]
View More
Being aware of a client’s triggers is a critical component of learning how to cope with symptoms of mental health challenges. Triggers are situations that can cause a person to react in an unwanted or unhealthy way. Triggers can cause a person to struggle with unwanted thoughts, feelings, and impulses. They are especially challenging when […]
View More
Many clients in therapy struggle to see their daily lives from a healthy perspective. It can be a challenge for clients to remove the negative lens that causes them to feel anxious, depressed, or angry. While we cannot expect someone to always see things positively, teaching clients to balance negativity with positive experiences can help […]
View More
Managing anxious thoughts can be challenging, especially without proper tools for coping. Anxious thoughts can be triggered by many things, like prolonged stress, low self-esteem, or unexpected issues. When left unmanaged, those thoughts can affect confidence, motivation, and the ability to cope with trials healthily. Clients in therapy often feel like a victim of their […]
View More
Stress is a natural part of life. We all feel stressed sometimes, whether it is due to work, relationships, or dealing with life’s challenges. Some people can manage stress well, while others struggle to cope. Stress can lead to other issues, like anxiety, depression, low motivation, and relationship challenges, so it is important to practice […]
View More
Panic attacks are challenging to go through, and it is not uncommon for a person to have a panic attack without even realizing it. Panic attacks cause many alarming symptoms that can be distressing and uncomfortable, so identifying a pattern of panic attacks is important in therapy. A person in therapy needs to learn how […]
View More
Children often have a hard time communicating how they feel. There could be a few different reasons for this. Whether they are afraid, frustrated, or do not understand how to express emotions, talking about feelings can be difficult for a child. An emotion that is especially challenging to express is worry. Worry comes from a […]
View More
The first step to managing stress is learning how to recognize stress. People who are stressed often ignore their symptoms. Some do not even know they are experiencing symptoms of stress until they are taught how to identify symptoms in therapy. Stress is a normal part of life, but ignoring its symptoms can cause long-term […]
View More
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) offers useful tools for teaching clients in therapy how to handle distressing or upsetting situations. DBT teaches healthy coping skills for distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and the reduction of mood swings and panic attacks. It provides tools that help a client learn how to cope with upsetting emotions like stress, anxiety, […]
View More
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has become a leading form of treatment that mental health professionals use when working with their clients. Part of the process of CBT is focusing on interaction between a client’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A tool that is used to help explain how these three components affect a person’s mental health […]
View More
At some point in a client’s journey in therapy, they will need to evaluate how they are managing their personal needs. They need to be aware of their needs and how to prioritize them effectively. When a client does not know how to prioritize their needs, they may struggle with important life skills, like stress […]
View More
Building self-esteem is an essential part of child development. Without building a healthy sense of self-esteem, a child may struggle to cope with stress as they grow and develop. A healthy sense of self-esteem can help them build emotional resilience, self-advocation skills, and a positive self-image. To develop a strong sense of self-esteem, a child […]
View More
Gratitude can create healthy habits that help clients cope with several mental health challenges. Gratitude provides balance to negative thoughts and feelings, so a client can benefit from learning about gratitude and the types of exercises they can use to boost gratitude and mindfulness practices. Teaching a client how to practice gratitude exercises helps them […]
View More
Healthy self-reflection skills help clients in therapy learn how to be more aware of their behavior. When working with clients on methods to improve their reactions to challenges, knowing how to slow down reactions, think situations through, and be more aware of their feelings and triggers can help a client understand how to improve their […]
View More
Many clients in therapy struggle with low self-esteem. They often do not have a strong sense of identity or are unhappy with who they are. Facing yourself in therapy can be scary, so a therapist needs to be equipped with helpful tools to help their clients boost their self-image and self-esteem. A poor self-image can […]
View More
Many life experiences can contribute to feeling unsafe. It is common for clients in therapy to struggle with feeling safe, which can contribute to anxiety, panic attacks, and feelings of helplessness. A history of trauma, personal insecurities, low self-esteem, and more can all increase the risk of anxiety, panic attacks, and mood swings associated with […]
View More
Creating mantras is a great way to help your client learn how to cope when dealing with life stress. A mantra is a repeated phrase or saying used to calm the mind and promote relaxation. It is a useful tool when needing to calm anxious thoughts or feel more grounded. Mantras are an important exercise […]
View More
When confronted with a difficult situation or an uncomfortable feeling that is not easily resolved, clients can fall into a pattern of ruminating over the discomfort. Oftentimes, the ruminating thoughts cause a sense of urgency to resolve an issue or find a solution to help you feel better. With that sense of urgency, it is […]
View More
We all know that sometimes life can get overwhelming. Stress at work, home, or from unexpected circumstances causes us to feel overwhelmed when not properly managed. It is important to know how to manage the feelings of anxiety, fatigue, and depressed mood that can come with prolonged and unmanaged stress. Because life can be so […]
View More
Teaching a client in therapy how to maintain healthy habits for mental health is an important part of the therapeutic process. Clients learn a great deal while in therapy, and making sure that they learn skills to cope with life challenges helps ensure the client’s success. It is also important to guide the client in […]
View More
It can be easy to get wrapped up in the moment of a stressful situation and instantly feel overwhelmed. Without direction or hopes of finding a resolution, that overwhelmed feeling can turn into helplessness or hopelessness, and make you lose touch with your authority over how the situation affects you. Each person reacts to stress […]
View More
As therapists, we know that most issues and concerns our clients face are more dynamic and intricate than the client may realize. Many components contribute to presenting issues with our clients, and often there is more than meets the eye. When working with clients on issues like emotional regulation, mood disorders, anxiety, and self-esteem, it […]
View More
Sometimes clients struggle with learning how to feel happy and fulfilled in their lives. Whether it is due to depression, low self-esteem, or motivation issues, it is not uncommon for clients in therapy to struggle to find traction toward happiness or contentment. These clients will ultimately feel lost and sometimes hopeless in their efforts to […]
View More
There are several reasons why a person in therapy may struggle to express their feelings. Many grow up learning that they need to silence or suppress their uncomfortable feelings, which can affect the way they relate to their emotional needs. People can also struggle to understand how they feel when they suffer from mood disorders, […]
View More
Helping a client build self-esteem can be a challenging process. Many people in therapy suffer from low self-esteem, which contributes to other challenges they may be facing. Low self-esteem makes anxiety, stress, relationships, and depression more difficult to cope with and holds clients back from reaching their full potential in therapy. Helping a client boost […]
View More
Interpersonal issues like assertiveness, aggression, and confrontation are often things people struggle to know how to handle. There is a fine line between assertiveness and aggression, hostility, and passivity when dealing with confrontation. Sometimes, it can be difficult for someone in therapy to know which road to take- whether to be assertive, aggressive, or submissive, […]
View More
Worrying consumes more time and energy than we may realize. It is a feeling that is often hard to shake, especially when struggling with anxiety and stress, or feeling out of control. Clients often struggle to cope with worrying, and may not even realize how severely they are affected by their worrisome thoughts. Teaching a […]
View More
It is common for couples in therapy to struggle with communicating and resolving conflict. Conflict poses challenges for people in relationships because it impacts communication, which is an important part of socializing, bonding, and getting along with others. When a person in therapy struggles with communicating, their self-esteem, ability to relate to others, and overall […]
View More
Accepting things that are outside of our control is challenging. Many clients in therapy struggle with accepting the limits of control and being tolerant of the things that are outside of their control. Experiences like chronic pain, grief, loss, anxiety, and depression can cause a great deal of suffering, but being able to accept the […]
View More
One common cause of stress for clients in therapy is understanding how to handle confrontation and interactions with others. Sometimes people struggle with being assertive, controlling their temper, or simply expressing how they are feeling or what they are thinking in a given situation. When clients struggle with such challenges, it helps to assist them […]
View More
You may view this content and help us to keep the lights on by disabling your ad blocker or white list PsychPoint.com