Author Archives: thinkduncan

As spring develops, there are positive things happening ­— the warmth of sun is starting to be noticeable, seasonal flowers are pushing through and we are a month closer to returning to some sort of normality, however, mental health is far from being a sorted issue. There is a high probability that you know someoneContinue reading “The sun comes out but we are still suffering”

For many, the last time children were at school was almost three months ago. The thought of going back will raise concerns for children and parents alike. However you are feeling, it’s okay to be nervous. Let’s start with looking at this from a child’s perspective. It is unlikely that any child who spent theContinue reading “Preparing your child for a return to school”

When I see a client who is stuck at a cross-road in life, it often has a connection with a relationship. Separation is hard enough but what about when it is sudden? The death of a partner must be one of the hardest life challenges to overcome – and when it is unexpected the shockContinue reading “Dealing with separation”

Employee sickness is a huge concern for managers and company owners. Poorly staff will have an obvious impact on productivity and ultimately this will dent company finances – not only do you have to pay for an employee to be sick, but you also have to pay to cover the workload or take a lossContinue reading “Who is responsible for workplace balance?”

Moving house can be one of the most stressful life events anyone can go through – in-fact, two thirds of people voted a house move as top of their stress list, suggesting it causes greater anxiety than the break-down of a relationship, or the pressure of starting a new job. Moving house – whilst alsoContinue reading “The similarity of moving house & mental health”

As if growing up isn’t confusing enough, this year has caused a huge ripple in the dynamic of young peoples lives. Normality – something young people rely on – has been screwed up and thrown in the bin and this has impacted on friendship groups, family balance and education. To cover the demand, we nowContinue reading “The confusion of mental health in young people”

Let’s take a moment to consider Sigmund Freud, the so-called father of psychotherapy. A quick image scan on Google provides many images – most of which are similar; a stoic man, wearing a three-piece suit, with a pocket watch and a cigar. Following a first counselling session with a client, I always ask the sameContinue reading “Counselling! Lets not shy away…”

If I were to ask you to listen to two people in the street talking, apart from disregarding the ambient background noise, it should be easy to take in what is being said. It becomes a little more difficult if one person is talking through a megaphone; you will more than likely take in theContinue reading “Filtering out negative information”

We live in an age where it has never been easier to connect with our friends, relatives and colleagues. Technology allows us not only a good quality voice call, but also video calls to almost anywhere in the world. It is hard to imagine that even a generation ago, to make a call – forContinue reading “Time to ditch the telephone”

There is a reason why – on the airline safety laminate – it tells you, that in an emergency you must put your oxygen mask on before helping children. It may sound unethical to sort yourself out first, but if you are overcome with smoke and unable to help anyone else, the situation becomes muchContinue reading “Why putting yourself first is important”