Counselling For Men's Mental Health, Addiction, Grief & Loss in Adelaide
It's important to remember that counselling is not only for those in crisis or unable to cope. Counselling can be absolutely beneficial for working through day to day struggles, limiting beliefs, anxieties, challenging thought patterns or unhelpful behaviours.
Elevate Counselling Services
Men's Mental Health
Guys…I know very well that sometimes it may feel hard or impossible to narrow down what exactly you may be struggling with, or when your gut tells you things aren’t quite right. Sometimes we may have a fair idea, but what’s the next step? What's even going on?
Often our thoughts and feelings take a back seat, being dismissed or ignored. However, often these unmet thoughts and feelings can manifest into forms of depression, anxiety, lack of self-worth, grief, addiction or anger. Sometimes, these thoughts, feelings and emotions are taking over everything and it feels like there is no longer a choice. It can be a very lonely journey.
I would say for a lot of us, talking with friends or family seems impossible. Maybe it's just not the thing you would do, or it feels too close to home and they probably wouldn't get it.
Sound familiar? If so, this is perfectly normal, and the thoughts, feelings and emotions you experience are shared by many.
Some common issues related to men's general mental health include:
- Addictions
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Assertiveness
- Body Image
- Bullying
- Communication issues
- Conflict resolution
- Depression
- Family/parenting issues
- Grief and loss
- Infertility / IVF experiences
- Life transitions
- Low self esteem
- Relationship issues
- Stress
- Unwanted and unhelpful thoughts & images
- An existing belief and bias toward 'masculinity'.
So, where to from here then?...
Don't wait to let things slide until it feels there is no way out. It can be so relieving, liberating and incredibly positive for your mental health and general wellbeing, to be in a space where you are validated, and one that is free from barriers, judgement and expectations.
Further Resources:
Grief & Loss
Grief and loss are deeply personal experiences, unique to each individual. It can manifest in many forms, with one of the most significant and impacting being the death of a loved one. However, grief & loss can also stem from many other factors, such as the loss of a job, a pet, cherished relationships or friendships, the loss of a known and familiar lifestyle.
Grief can at times, present itself in profound or unusual ways. At times, Grief & Loss can inadvertently dominate or takeover other emotions and feelings. This can result in emotional exhaustion and focus on negative thought processes.
Some common emotional responses to grief include:
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Changes in appetite
- Depression
- Disrupted sleep patterns
- Guilt
- Helplessness
- Loneliness
- Loss of concentration
- Mood swings/constant tearfulness
- No interest in daily life, sense of future or hope
- Remorse
- Shock
Some experiences of Grief & Loss may not be validated or understood by others (termed 'disenfranchised grief & loss), leading to further feelings of despair and being alone. It is common to feel alone and that no-one can truly understand the complexities of pain and sadness that you may be experiencing.
Everyone deserves to grieve in their own way, at their own pace. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. My goal and aim with grief & loss counselling is to explore your unique grief and to stand alongside you to realise ways out and to ensure to the best of my ability, that your quality of life does not diminish throughout your grief experiences.
Such feelings, thoughts and behaviours can significantly impact on day to day functioning. If you feel that grief is impacting you and you feel that you cannot escape or manage, grief counselling can be crucial to the healing process by discovering empowerment, resources and tools to move forward.
Further Resources:
Addiction Counselling
Are you sick and tired of waking up sick and tired?
Addiction has both psychological and physical attributes, with people compulsively engaging in activities and behaviours that often lead to being void of enjoyment or value. There are many forms of addiction that people face, including (but not limited to):
- Alcohol and drugs (illicit or prescription)
- Technology
- Pornography
- Gambling
- Shopping
Dependency can quickly lead to addiction, and start to significantly impact your life in a negative way. The impacts are far reaching, effecting not only one's health, but also influencing relational and societal exclusion and disarray.
Addiction often creates a powerful, yet false and misleading sense of reality, where you are enveloped in your own realm that is void of clarity, awareness, emotion and engagement. This is especially pertinent for immediate family and friends, but also for the individual, where there is denial or dismissiveness involved.
Let's look at this another way… Is 1 too many and 10 not enough?
Are you sitting there wondering how this happened? Possibly thinking "I cannot even begin to imagine being without it, that would be impossible and simply couldn't happen. Yet why...and how??"
Have you reached a stage where you absolutely cannot do without it? Are you constantly craving it, and reshaping your daily life solely to accommodate and prioritise it?
Do you find yourself enveloped in loneliness, despair, fear and frustration, feeling like you've backed yourself into a corner? (I know I absolutely have in the past).
Then if you are ready, I strongly encourage and welcome you to start your new journey with my counselling for addiction, where you may start to enact positive change and realise and nurture your strengths and resources.
Further Resources:
NDIS Support
I am currently and proudly providing capacity building support for participants within the National Disability insurance Scheme (NDIS). Participants must have self-managed or plan-managed funding to access my services and support.
Support is provided for self-managed and plan-managed participants using the following line item in Capacity Building – Daily Activities:
Assessment Recommendation - Therapy Or Training - Counsellor.
