In my practice I frequently consult people with body image issues. What do I mean with body image issues? Dissatisfaction with the body, particular body parts or body shape to the extent that it’s impacting on psychological health and social activities. To go a bit deeper into theory: we all have an internalised sense of what we look like, an internal representation of our external body. This image can be distorted or not synced with the reality. This could happen due to negative experiences, comments, traumatic experiences or your comparing nature. All of this is reinforced by our current society where we have a lot of opportunity to compare (magazines, internet, Facebook, Instagram).

“John is a 48 year old farmer who is confronted with financial stress due to a change in weather circumstances and changing market demands. He owns the family farm in a remote area and has to work really hard to make a small living. He is concerned for the ongoing impact of the limited financial resources on his family. Lately he has increased feelings of hopelessness which result in disturbing thoughts such as “My family would be better off if I wouldn’t be around anymore” and “What’s the use of it all?” He has been referred to a Suicide Prevention Service. “

As I have been involved in suicide prevention work recently I thought it would be good to share some information about these services with you. 

The 14th of February is dedicated to Saint Valentine who, according to the story, utterly believed in love and marriage and helped people find their true love in many ways. As was told, he wrote a love letter to the love of his life just before dying. His dedication to love has inspired people ever since. For the romantic people amongst us, Valentine’s Day might be the perfect occasion for a romantic dinner, a thoughtful card, a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates, or any other romantic gesture to express your appreciation of the love you feel for another person. But for some people this day might prompt less positive feelings because of problems in their intimate relationship, such as sexual problems, lack of intimacy or due to the lack of having a relationship.

Without trying to solve all possible problems in one blog I would like to emphasise on the matter of wanting to be intimate but for whatever reason you can’t. This might be due to not having a partner, 

In my psychology practice people often ask me the question: “Why am I suffering from depression?”  It’s a good and fair question, so I decided to share the answer in this blog.

Let me start by providing a brief description of what I, as a Clinical Psychologist, would describe as depression. In psychology the official term for depression is a Major Depressive Disorder, part of the cluster of Mood disorders. Without dissolving in very clinical language there are a few criteria a person 

“Meet Kate and Mark. They are in their early thirties and have been together for 8 years. They are ready to start a family and have tried for several months to conceive. The disappointment of having her period every month makes Kate feel sad and unsettled. She now uses ovulation tests to increase her chance of pregnancy which has caused the sexual interaction to be timed and on demand. This has negatively impacted Mark’s desire to be intimate as intercourse has become a performance with high expectations. The sex has become single focussed on his ejaculation to the cost of their intimacy. Due to this demand on his sexual performance and the lack of intimacy his erection has lost strength and sometimes disappears completely. This issue puts both partners under even more stress.  The arguments start to build...“

Trying to have a baby sounds very romantic and it can be. But for some couples the process of