Deborah is highly qualified to assist with:
Depression
Depression is the most common problem that brings people to therapy. Feelings of sadness, loss, irritability, frustration, fear, loneliness and hopelessness are often transient feelings most everybody feels from time to time. However, when they persist over a long period of time they can begin to erode self-confidence through self-criticism, persistent negativity, and withdrawal from social interaction.
Anxiety and Panic
Everyone experiences fear and anxiety from time to time as it is very much a part of the human experience. It is the signal our body gives us when we are faced with a dangerous situation or a stressful event. However, chronic anxiety, or fear and anxiety that is out of proportion to a situation, is problematic. It can feel like constant tension or manifest itself as panic.
Low self-esteem
Self-esteem can be defined as the way in which we feel about ourselves. At times of stress and when feeling overwhelmed it is common for people to feel uncertain, lack self-confidence, think negatively about themselves and others, and to doubt abilities. If this happens often it may indicate a problem with low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can impact negatively on work, interpersonal relationships, and in social situations.
Trauma
People who have been traumatised have been through an extremely stressful event which has been outside the ‘normal’ realm of experience and which has threatened their sense of safety and welfare. These events may include such things as exposure to war horror, violence including physical and sexual abuse, natural disasters, life threatening accidents.
Grief and Loss
Grief is the emotional suffering one experiences in response to a loss. Grief will be more intense the more significant the loss, often the most intense being the loss of a loved one. We can also experience grief in response to other losses such as the loss of a relationship, our health, the death of a pet, loss of friendship. Grief is a highly individual experience. It can feel like an emotional roller-coaster. Psychological symptoms of grief can include shock, sadness, guilt, anger, fear.
Workplace Stress and Injuries
Excessive workplace stress can negatively impact on both physical and emotional well-being and have the flow on effect of interfering with productivity, interactions with others at work, at home and in other social situations. Some sources of work stress can include increasing workloads, long hours, layoff fears, harassment, bullying, perfectionism, lack of assertiveness.
Anger
Anger is a normal emotion which can range from irritation to rage. Everyone experiences it and when managed well anger can be helpful in expressing difficult feelings and in dealing with difficult situations. However, it becomes problematic when it is chronic, expressed in a harmful way, when it affects relationships and general well-being.